15 percent increase for Carib workers

THE LONG drawn-out negotiations to formulate new collective agreements on behalf of weekly-and monthly-paid workers of both the Caribbean Development Company and Carib Glassworks had their final sequel in the Industrial Court yesterday. The court, which had the task of reviewing the previous agreements after negotiations between the two companies and the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW), failed to give judgments that affected both weekly-and monthly-paid workers. In its judgment, the court ordered that a 15 percent increase (5,5,5) be paid to both categories of workers for the period for each of the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.

NUGFW’s president general, Robert Giuseppi, said when consolidated with Cost of living allowance, the 15 percent would make for an overall increase of just over 18 percent as against the 12 percent the company was offering over the same period. In August last year, the dispute was referred to the court by the Ministry of Labour in accordance with provisions of the Industrial Relations Act. Based on a review of the old agreement, workers are to benefit in other areas — meal allowance, recall to work after normal hours, shift premium, overtime, height allowance, and uniform. The orders of the court and the matters to which the parties  had agreed  earlier at the Ministry of Labour are to be the body of the new collective agreement. 

According to the court, this agreement must be executed on or before February 24. The court also ordered that all monies due and payable, pursuant to the order, inclusive of all arrears of salary and other payments must be paid on or before March 4. The court hoped that the orders it made would be observed in the interest of the company, the union and the workers, since the workers had not been protected by a registered collective agreement since the period April 1, 1995 to March 31, 1998. “This is a totally unsatisfactory industrial relations anomaly which would not have occurred if the parties had been competently advised,” observed the court. The president of the court, Addison Khan and member, Herbert Ssoverall, formed the court’s coram populo.