Water disruption threat averted
Published:Tuesday | July 11, 2023 | 12:11 AMErica Virtue/Senior Gleaner Writer -
Jamaicans can take a collective sigh of relief that a threat of industrial action by workers at the National Water Commission (NWC) has been averted, for now, as discussions between the management, unions representing the workers and representatives of the ministries of Finance and Labour and Social Security will reconvene on Wednesday.
The unions served a 72-hours notice of strike action on the management last Saturday, indicating that industrial action might be imminent following a breakdown of discussions between the workers and the management over the reclassification and compensation exercise.
The National Workers Union (NWU) is one of five unions representing a diverse staff at different levels of the company. Its president, Granville Valentine, said yesterday that industrial action has been averted for now, as the discussions will continue on Wednesday at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
Valentine told The Gleaner that no agreement has been reached but discussions are fruitful.
“The workers are still extremely restive but await instructions from the leadership of their unions. Both parties will revisit proposed positions tabled today (Tuesday),” he stated.
He listed some of the main concerns.
Among them, he said, “the workers who were converted at a minimum of 20 to 25 per cent over three years without agreement with the unions and how the conversation was done to align workers at level one to level four. Also, a 13-point scale that was imposed without discussion with unions from a five-point scale.”
The 72-hours strike notice would have expired on Tuesday for the group classified as essential workers who must give notice before any industrial action can be taken.
Before the start of the meeting, the NWC’s management appealed to the workers to exercise restraint as efforts were being made to address compensation issues. The company said it was committed to working with the workers and their unions as well as the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to effectively resolve all outstanding matters relating to the Public Sector Compensation Review Process in the shortest possible time.