NIB workers suffer ‘sick-out’ deductions in salary

EMPLOYEES of the National Insurance Board (NIB) were yesterday spitting fire over alleged deductions of thousands of dollars in their salaries for “sick-out” action taken in March.

The employees who are negotiating for better terms and conditions for the period 1999 to 2001 told Newsday the negotiations are at a standstill, but when they received their payslips, they found monies had been deducted. They concluded the deductions were for “sick-out” action taken by the majority of permanent workers on March 14 and 17, 2003. The workers even accused their bargaining union Public Services Association (PSA) of knowing of the plan by the NIB management to deduct the salaries and of doing nothing about it.

Newsday was told that the deductions ranged from $300 to $600 based on the individual salaries. The employees are also upset about the promotion system at the government agency. Newsday was told the promotion system at NIB is not based on qualifications but rather persons are promoted allegedly because management can control them. However the NIB shop steward Terrance Regis, told Newsday while he could not confirm the workers had embarked on “sick-out” action, he was investigating complaints about the deductions. He said there might have been “sporadic absenteeism” which could have affected the Board’s operations. He said he was trying to “get the picture if that is so or not”.

Questioned about the promotion issue, Regis also confirmed the staff has had that grouse for a number of years. He said the union is trying to have included in its agreement a transparent promotion system. He described the current system as being “shrouded in mystery” which is considered by many to be characterised by nepotism. On the actual state of negotiations, Regis said NIB was offering a ten percent increase — two percent, two percent and six percent to cover the three year period. He said a proposal asking for “$1,000 across the Board for all employees in addition to a 15 percent increase” had been submitted to the Board for its consideration for which the union was awaiting a response. However Regis stressed that what the workers want is to have salaries comparable with those received by other state agencies like WASA, TTEC and TSTT.

Efforts to get a comment from the NIB management and PSA President Jennifer Baptiste-Primus  about the deductions proved futile.