New PSV body makes headway in talks

A commitment has been made on the part of the newly formed Public Service Vehicle Workers’ Association and the Transport Authority, to treat to those issues touching PSV operators which can be quickly resolved, such as operations in the Constitution River Terminal, the matter of uniforms and the three strike rule.

Fabian Wharton, Public Relations Officer with the PSV Workers’ Association acknow-ledged the above, as he and Chairman of the Transport Authority, Ian Estwick met with members of the media just after 2 p.m. yesterday at the Transport Authority in the Constitution River Terminal, to discuss the outcome of the four-hour talks held between the two entities, which were described by both sides as “cordial”.

“There is a commitment on both sides, especially as it relates to those issues that can be quickly resolved, like lane assignments in the Constitution River Terminal etc. We spent a lot of time on the uniform, so I am very confident that the uniform issue should be one that should be sorted pretty quickly and those are the two main ones and the three-strike rule. So we got full clarification on those major areas that we wanted. So the reality is, there is an agreement in place to move with haste,” Wharton commented.

Chairman of the Transport Authority, Ian Estwick meanwhile stated “We have just concluded a four-hour meeting between representatives of the Transport Authority and representatives from the new PSV drivers’ association. During the meeting, we heard from the Association, their concerns on certain issues that they wanted to have ventilated”.

“We looked at various issues. The discussions were very cordial and were quite comprehensive and they were not only complaints or issues, but we got some valuable information from the members of the Association and some suggestions regarding our rationalisation of routes and the operation of the Constitution River Terminal. We also looked at the operation of the other terminals and what plans we have for the integration process” Estwick explained.

Admitting that not all the issues ventilated have been completely resolved, Estwick however noted that a lot of misinformation put in the public domain was cleared up during the talks, such as the idea that operators had to purchase ten shirts, which was never the case. In fact, he said that with new proposals placed on the table, PSV operators may now get shirts at a much better price and some may not have to expend on shirts at all. Wharton meanwhile stated that the issue of the logo on the shirts is the final thing to be sorted, but the uniform issue is “pretty much settled”.

In terms of how quickly further dialogue will take place, Estwick told the media, “He has to go back to his people to let them know what progress we have made. I have a board meeting this afternoon, at which I will address the board and let them know what took place this morning and into this afternoon and I think by the end of the week we should have a pretty good idea when we will be meeting again, to conclude that one sticking point of the uniform”. (RSM)