NSWMA and unionised workers call truce
Union says partial deal reached after meeting with management
Published:Thursday | July 21, 2022 | 12:06 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
FOLLOWING A four-hour meeting on Tuesday between the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and the National Workers Union (NWU) to discuss the subpar working conditions of sanitation workers, the 72-hour strike notice issued on Monday was withdrawn.
Granville Valentine, general secretary of the NWU, said that many of the concerns raised during the meeting were settled and that certain decisions were made. He added that the other issues needed more time to remedy and remain partially resolved. Valentine was unable to comment on specifics.
The notice listed up to 10 issues that the employees had been dealing with for the past seven months, including inadequate equipment, the implementation of flexi-work schedules without prior notification, the lack of compensation for out-of-town travel, irregular salary payments, and the absence of a pension plan.
Valentine said it became clear during these meetings that the same issues that the National Water Commission had with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service in May are some of the same problems faced by the NSWMA, along with being underfunded.
“In the broader discussion we had today, there are many things that came out and we are seeing the finance ministry as creating some red tapes and some obstacles that can be resolved easily and must be resolved now,” he said.
OUTSTANDING
These issues are in relation to outstanding reclassification, as far back as 2018, and their non-inclusion in the ongoing review of public-sector compensation.
Valentine argued that workers must be regularised as they have complained about not being able to get a loan, a sustainable health plan and are not eligible to find housing through the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ).
He pointed out that many of the agency’s employees had been on short-term contracts for more than 15 years, and that it was unreasonable to deny them the benefit to become pensionable.
“It is an unfortunate and degrading situation that exists and we are calling on the powers that be, that they should immediately change that arrangement,” he said, noting that some workers are now retiring with nothing to bring home.
Valentine further argued that if the sidemen, as the labourers are commonly called, were to walk off the job, it would endanger the health of Jamaicans, bring misery to our homes, places of work, and public streets, and result in the creation of an extremely unhealthy nation.
“It is of urgency that the finance ministry treat with the NSWMA in similar regards to the NWC ... where we must prioritise the reclassification exercise and use whatever means and tools that we have to expedite the process,” he said.
“We also believe that the government needs to seriously revisit the funding of the NSWMA ... because the agency, obviously, is way behind in the maintenance and the collection of garbage by virtue of tools and equipment, lack of gears and people are underpaid,” he added.
Valentine said that the union would be writing to the finance ministry and continue to fight for the workers.
“These are fixable matters, so whilst we make noise about how we going to fix the bigger trousers and the bigger salaries ... we must focus equally on those that are on the floor position, those that do the dirty work,” he said.
He also noted that the NWU and the management at NSWMA have pledged to establish a clearer channel of communication with workers.
“Our members were satisfied for today and we look forward to the immediate actions [to be taken],” he said.