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NUPW dissatisfied with Estwick
2/5/2010
DR DAVID Estwick’s call for a wage freeze and the sale of state assets, has left the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) dissatisfied with the Minister’s choice to go public with the information.
In an interview with the Barbados Advocate Mr Dennis Clarke, President of NUPW, suggested that whilst the Union did not see any problems with the proposals as such, it was something that given their exposure and level of partnership, he would have expected to be discussed between Government, the staff associations of Barbados and the Congress of Trade Unions.
“I am disappointed with the way in which discussions about the wage freeze were handled and introduced into the public forum. Had that been us, we would have been accused of negotiating with the press.”
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n a time where Barbadians are already feeling the pinch with increased water prices, and are set to further tighten their belts with the rise of electricity and phone bills next month, Clarke believes that it is necessary for this to be taken into consideration before a call on any type of wage freeze can be agreed.
“I would have expected any talks of this nature to be put to the table, this has come at a time when there has just been an increase in utility bills. There is a need to discuss the ways in which people will cope with this, whilst also dealing with the intended wage freeze. No one wants to see Barbados face the same economic hardships as it did in the early nineties.”
Suggesting that opportunities may have been missed to uncover more effective ways to keep the economy afloat, Clarke expressed the need for the NUPW to know exactly what the fiscal deficit of the country stands at. Arguing that before this figure is made clear it would be impossible to analyse the impact, if any, that a wage freeze could have on the general population.
“These are the parameters that we would have liked to discuss, but were not given the opportunity to do so. Had we sat around the table, we may have agreed, or alternatively come up with anther proposal that may be equally as beneficial to the economy.” (KA)
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