Earle: CBC did not agree to a wage increase

THE Chairman of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Peter Earle, is contending that the Barbados Workers’ Union’s (BWU) effort to force the cash-strapped state-owned entity to pay increments over and above scales would be tantamount to a salary increase.

As 20 per cent of the company’s employees took industrial action for the third consecutive day yesterday, over the paying of increments, Earle explained that while the Corporation placed on the table the payment of outstanding increments from July 2013 to July 2017, the BWU has been unreasonable in trying to get “the value of those increments and pay them over the scale”.

“Some of the people were already at the top of the scale. So if we agree to pay increments, and they are already at the top, then there are no more increments for them. But the Union wants to go beyond that and that doesn’t happen in Barbados.

“So we are saying that is tantamount to a salary increase because legally that doesn’t happen. Now if for instance we had paid these increments every year, we would not have gone over the scale,” Earle explained, during a press conference at the Pine, St. Michael-based Corporation.

The Chairman pointed out that he was assured that CBC could pay the increments only if its parent ministry agreed to certain proposals, along with CBC generating additional revenue with the implementation of new initiatives.

“That was the basis on which CBC agreed to pay the outstanding increments. The figure of $102 000 we put on the table did not include increments over the scale,” he said.

He further explained that he had sought clarification from former General Secretary of the BWU, Sir Roy Trotman, regarding going over the top of the scales, and was assured that “we were not going above the top, but that we would discuss the scales at a later date”.

“I did that because the management team wanted clarification. I went back and told them that the agreement was not one that would take persons already at the top of their respective scales.

“Once they reach the top, there were no more increments. The General Manager also spoke to Sir Roy and he said the same and also indicated that we would discuss the scales at a later date,” he said.

According to Earle, any agreement to go over the top of the scale means that the Corporation would have agreed to a wage increase for the affected persons.

He lamented that there was no proposal for a wage increase, as Section 20 (c) of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation Act, Chapter 276 states that “no salary in excess of such sums as the Minister may determine and notify in writing to the Corporation shall be assigned to any post without the prior approval of the Minister”.

“The Board never sought approval because we understood that we were negotiating increments, not salaries,” Earle pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Chairman apologised to viewers of Channel 8 and listeners on the Corporation’s radio stations, for the inability to present several regular scheduled programmes as a result of the industrial action against the CBC.

He said the Corporation’s financial difficulties have been well chronicled in recent months during the much publicised negotiations with the BWU, and noted that the strike action was causing a further loss of revenue.

The strike action is having an impact on the daily operations at the state-owned broadcaster, he stressed.

He said the three radio stations remain on the air with some periods automated while TV8 has made some adjustments to its schedule, including a temporary break to Mornin’ Barbados and Midday News.

“Because the vast majority of the staff has not joined the industrial action, we have been able to maintain our customer service operations for MCTV.

“TV8 has been able to maintain its major Evening News product and our three radio stations continue to function,” he said. (AH)