To meet for fifth day this morning
PHILIPSBURG--Government's latest proposal to pay its employees their additional 3.3 per cent cost of living adjustment by July 1 was unanimously rejected by workers during a "heated" meeting with their unions on Monday.
The workers said they were willing to accept the payment by March 1, but stressed that it must be retroactive to January. This was included in a proposal signed jointly by the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU), ABVO union and the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICS/PSU) and forwarded to government yesterday.
The workers will be continuing their meetings today, Tuesday. Their unions have strongly condemned union busting tactics and threats reported by some of their members to deter them from attending the meetings. The unions said a senior official at the Labour Ministry was the main person threatening workers with dismissal if they did not show up to work (see related story).
In the proposal sent to government, the workers said the payment must be made to all civil servants and teachers, including teachers of the government subsidized school boards as well as police and coastguard staff. Government's failure to make the retroactive payment by March 1 will result in workers receiving "legal interest" on their owed cost of living adjustment for 2006, 2007 and 2009 and "a penalty fee of NAf. 250 to each [worker]."
The workers said they will continue their deliberations until a commitment has been given by government to pay the total balance of the 3.3 per cent.
"The unions will not accept any reprisal to their members for coming to the meetings held during working hours as it was Government that disregarded the decision of August 25,
2010, BC240810 agenda point 23 to pay all civil servants, teachers including teachers of the
subsidized school boards (police and coast guard staff) on January 1, 201l," it was stated in the letter.
Meeting
The large group of workers hammered out the details of the letter during a sometimes intense meeting with their unions at the L.B. Scot Sports Auditorium on Monday. At one point the auditorium had been packed to capacity with workers. The civil servants and teachers were joined by Pelican workers who had earlier met with their union Workers Institute for Organised Labour at the WIFOL building.
At one point a number of prison staff, including prison guards also joined the meeting, but subsequently left after the main points had been discussed. The workers seemed resolute to get a commitment from government for their full payment.
Elshot told reporters that some of the workers, including St. Maarten Academy teachers have still not been paid their January salaries.
La Liga Birmingham City Roberto Mancini Biffy Clyro Liberal-Conservative coalition Australia
No comments:
Post a Comment