Sando City workers get 15 percent backpay

AFTER a long and tedious series of negotiations between Chief Personnel Officer Sandra Marchack and the Contractors and General Workers Trade Union (CGWTU), employees of the San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC) will be receiving 15 percent in backpay salary.

Both parties met at the San Fernando City Hall Auditorium yesterday where a Memorandum of Agreement was signed. Speaking at the signing ceremony, CGWTU president general Owen Hinds said, “when observing the actual composition of the backpay over a three-year period, 15 percent is not a bad thing.” Hinds added that workers were eagerly awaiting their monies on or before December 17. However, in response to Hinds’ request, chief executive officer of the SFCC Marlene Coudray said, “while the Corporation would like to pay the workers as soon as possible, one must understand that there is a process that follows the actual signing of the collective agreement. “The agreement needs to be brought to Cabinet for approval and then when it is approved, it has to be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for release of funds,” Coudray added.

The MOA that was signed by the CPO and the CGWTU stated, with effect from January 1, 2002, there shall be, consolidated with the wage rate that was payable at December 31 2001, an amount of $2.50 per day, representing the Cost of Living Allowance payable at that date. A wage increase of two percent shall then be applied and the resulting sum shall become the new daily wage rate of each worker in the bargaining unit. The MOA also stated that with effect from January 1, 2003, a wage increase of three percent shall be applied to the wage rate existing at December 31, 2002, and with effect from next January 1, a wage increase of ten percent shall be applied to the wage rate existing as at December 31. Both parties, therefore, have agreed to continue negotiations pertaining to the completion of the job evaluation exercise. San Fernando Mayor Ian Atherly also attended the signing ceremony.