NUPW ORDER

Union to stage ‘two days of protest and resistance’

THE National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has ordered its members to stay off the job today and tomorrow, as the union moves into its first phase of industrial action, following Government’s failure to meet a January 15 deadline to end salary negotiations.

In a statement, NUPW declared that after extensive discussion and consideration and mindful of the mandate given by its membership, the Union “hereby signals its intention
to inform members to stay away from work on Thursday January 18 and Friday January 19 for two days of protest and resistance.

“Public servants have taken the brunt of this government’s draconian cost-cutting measures and can take it no more. We deserve better,” the statement read.

The correspondence, which was addressed to “comrades”, also outlined that on December 27, 2017, the members of the National Union of Public Workers gave the Executive a mandate to indicate to the Government of Barbados that salary negotiations for a salary increase for public servants must be concluded by Monday January 15, 2018. The statement stressed that the deadline has come and gone with absolutely no communication from the Ministry of the Civil Service.

“We have been patient and long-suffering, working without a pay increase for ten years. We have been engaged in the current negotiation process for the past two years. Our opening proposal for a 23 per cent increase was not arrived at without careful consideration and analysis of Government’s finances.

“Our analysis has shown that, even in harsh economic conditions, the Government of Barbados managed to collect more revenue than projected, a fact borne out of statements by none other than the Minister of Finance [Christopher Sinckler] himself,” the statement read.

NUPW is also contending that the findings revealed that Government spent over 100 million dollars less on the public service, and suggested that the Union’s request for a 23 per
cent increase was met by Government’s counter-offer of zero per cent on every occasion that the two parties met at the bargaining table.

NUPW made it clear that Public Servants have suffered in relative silence while the cost of living in Barbados has “sky-rocked” and crippling new taxes have been introduced; and yet they have still turned up for work and delivered.

“It is unfair to expect that public servants will continue to accept Government’s regard for their plight even as they contribute in a major way to Government’s revenue-earning success.

On Monday, the NUPW executives met with shop stewards at its Dalkeith Road, St Michael headquarters where it was determined that since the deadline had come and there was no word from government, the Union would be taking industrial action.

“As you know, we would have given the Government an ultimatum to conclude salary negotiations by January 15, which is today,” NUPW President Akanni McDowall said to local media following the brief meeting.

“All gloves are off. The mandate from the council and the general membership was that the Government must conclude negotiations today, so we are prepared to do whatever is necessary to conclude salary negotiations.

“What we do not want to do is to tell you what plans we have so that Government can put measures in place to prevent us from being as effective as we could be,” the President said at the time. (AH)

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