POSTPONE DEADLINE

While October 1 is set as the date for the complete transition of the Customs and Excise Department, outstanding issues related to the terms of service for these individuals cannot be dealt with by that time.

 

Sharing this opinion, National Union of Public Workers’ Acting Assistant General Secretary, Wayne Walrond, told the media yesterday that the October 1 date will have to be deferred, stating that after meeting with these officers at the union’s Dalkeith Headquarters, several issues remained.

 

“The matters would include insisting that all available vacancies be filled within the Customs and Excise Department. The other issues surround the clerical officers, who for several years have been executing Customs and Excise duties but remain at the grade pay of clerical officer. This is an injustice that needs to be corrected and we are asking that action be taken to create provisions of customs officers, so that these persons can be considered for appointment,” he said, while listing several other areas of concern.

 

Walrond added, “So we are saying that the October 1 deadline, to be practical, would have to be deferred to allow these matters to be addressed in a definitive and comprehensive manner… We do not see these matters being settled by October 1 unless extra efforts are made to speed up the effort.”

 

Just over a week ago, the union – the largest public sector bargaining agency – held talks with Minister of Finance, Christopher Sinckler, on the matters and Walrond assured that the union would continue to hold meetings with the relevant authorities to complete the process.

 

Reminding officers not to sign their option forms, the union advised those, who had already attached their signatures, not to hand them in as there are still several outstanding concerns that have to be hammered out.

“It would not be in the interest of officers to make a commitment by signing to make a decision when you are still negotiating all the terms and conditions to ensure that they are not being disadvantaged, so we would advise all officers of the Customs and Excise Department not to sign any option forms or if they have signed, to hold onto that option form until the process has been completed that gives them the best terms and conditions. To do so, would be to their detriment while we are negotiating,” he emphasised.

 

The forms were to be returned to the BRA by September 19. (JMB)