PTSC and HDC workers want $$

Speaking to the media, President of the Public Service Association (PSA) Watson Duke said workers from both State owned companies have been told for more than nine years that things are being put in place to pay workers their money.

“This morning (yesterday) we have arrears owing to PTSC workers and on the other hand we have the pension and gratuity owed to the HDC retirees. From 2005 to date, over 40 workers have been retired from their jobs at HDC, ten of them are now dead and they did not collect their gratuity nor their pension.” He continued, “What we are seeing here are the balance of those who survived. We were told by the communication specialist of HDC to come back by month-end to hear what is going on with the Actuaries and the Pension Plan.” Duke explained that every day workers have to wonder where money will come from to pay for their medication or where they are going to get money from to continue living.

“We have been hearing that as a recurring decimal for the last three months. For the last six years they have been told they (HDC) are dealing with it. One of the retirees told me she has to spend thousands of dollars when the month come to buy medication. How long can she continue to lean on her grandchildren and family for assistance, it is sad,” Duke said.

Meanwhile, Duke said they (union) have signed an agreement with PTSC management last year where the workers were to be paid in December, but to date he said this did not happen.

“If they cannot get their money at least give them the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), somebody who they can tell their problems to”.

He continued, “The Government is wrecking this country day by day, by wrecking the lives of these public officers, telling them if we (Government) pay workers, workers can lose their work. I want to tell Rowley, let us lose our work, pay us our money now, and after we lose our work we will see what will happen.” Also speaking to the media, corporate communications officer Maurisa Findlay disclosed that the situation with HDC pensioners process has been cleared.

“We have indicated to them by letters and through meetings that the plan is in place and we are simply awaiting the BIR (Board of Inland Revenue) Directive, the Actuarial Filer Report and to start committing funds to the plan, thereafter they will have their pensions in hand and will take a couple more weeks. We have always kept the union in the loop as to what is happening,” she said.