Heads meeting to address CBC

UNDER the chairmanship of Ministry of Labour Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo, a meeting has been convened today, bringing together management of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) to find a resolution to the grievance related to increments which has led to a week long strike at the state-owned television station.

However, General Secretary of the BWU, Toni Moore, says the Union is not going to the meeting to renegotiate, since an agreement had already been reached between the two parties. “The BWU’s position is the same as it relates to the agreement.”

“We don’t know if that is their intention. If it is their intention that is unacceptable because an agreement has already been reached and that agreement needs to be honoured. For all and not just for some.”

“We know what was agreed and it is our view that whether we call it increments, or whatever word we use for it, that is the agreement that we will be advocating and needs to be honoured.”

On Monday night the BWU held a meeting at Solidarity House with its committees of management where they were brought up to speed on the proceedings which at that time had been marked by six days of strike action.

Moore said that the letter suggested that the Minister now of the view that the CBC is more amenable to adopting an approach which was suggested to her at a meeting since Tuesday last week. “Specifically the approach that the Minister proposed last Tuesday, was one that would see the parties moving away from making references to increments, because it was felt that suggestion would create some confusion in the mind of many.”

“Indeed we have experienced that over the last few days where increments is being touted as being core to what the BWU proposed and what the parties agreed as opposed to representing merely a calculation for a performance payment that should have been made to the workers of the CBC over the past four years,” she added.

Moore said the mood coming out of Monday’s BWU meeting was one of disappointment and concern. “That an agreement would be reached and that parties would then go away having reached an agreement and then dishonour the very agreement that was made. So that is really where our members have deep concern because it is the view that if that approach is one that is allowed in the case of the CBC, in the case of the BWA, then it is one that we might have to become used to going forward, and certainly for a union – that would not be a comfortable position to be in.”

Stressing that strike action at the CBC has not been called off she noted that the solidarity shown by the Barbados Water Authority has been suspended but if needed, other divisions of the BWU will be called out, pending the outcome of today’s meeting. (JH)