Some employees at the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) staged a brief work stoppage yesterday morning, a day after a more than three-hour meeting between SSA management and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW).
Reports are that some had been off the job from as early as 4 a.m., dissatisfied with negotiations over the performance incentive allowance (PIA). However, some were back at work before noon.
SSA chairman Ramon Alleyne said the matter was being bumped up to the level of the Labour Department and a meeting was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. yesterday. He added they were operating with a reduced staff complement.
“We’ve been able to get out, maybe a third of our crews this morning, so there’s still some form of stoppage. We were able to get out, maybe 21, 22 crews this morning,” he told the Weekend Nation.
Alleyne said the SSA would ensure it did all it could to get garbage off the streets.
‘Unsanctioned stoppage’
“There is concern on my part for the general public health and well-being in terms of the impact of what is an unsanctioned stoppage. My major priority has to be ensuring that the Authority is providing the type of service to safeguard Barbadian communities and we’re going to do whatever is necessary to get that done. So, that is my priority at the moment. I’m not limiting my options.”
Some workers complained yesterday that they worked hard and with hazardous materials, but were not paid adequately, adding they were not happy with the outcome of the union’s meeting with management on Tuesday.
“The only thing substantial was the money for the people on vacation, and sick leave would be getting looked at. The whole problem is with how they calculating this allowance, which is only [being calculated] on the black cans. Computers malfunction sometimes, plus not every man will take up a can and carry it to a truck. If he sees a one-bag, he will take it to the truck to save time,” he said.
The black and green garbage cans were distributed in 2021/2022 as part of the Residential Waste Collection Improvement Project, in partnership with Prosource Ltd.
The men and women said they refused to punch in for duty yesterday morning due to frustration over the prolonged matter, but returned since “sanitation workers love their job”, and after words with management.
The disgruntled workers said there were alternatives they had in mind to the PIA, such as being paid according to tonnage brought in, but the issue was that the scale which weighed garbage was sometimes out of order. Instead, some said they would like to simply have a flat rate across the board and be rid of the PIA altogether.
Calculation
Others said that while they were grateful for the PIA, they were upset about how it was calculated and would like the intervention of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who they said helped negotiate their medical plan.
However, when contacted, Mottley said there was a process guiding such matters so she would not be getting involved until it played out.
In a release, acting Chief Labour Officer Wayne Sobers outlined the conclusions arrived at after yesterday’s meeting with the parties:
• No dispute has been declared by either side.
• The work stoppage resulted from a misunderstanding of the basis on which the calculation of the performance incentive payment was made.
• That payment will be done on a quarterly basis.
• The sides have committed to meet and revise the basis of the calculation of the performance incentive payment for the July-September quarter.
Sobers advised that the matter was best resolved through social dialogue and it was expected that work would resume as normal today. He said the Labour Department would continue to monitor the situation and “support the process as required to maintain industrial relations harmony”.
NUPW deputy general secretary Wayne Walrond said some workers who were looking for immediate results were incensed when this did not occur, and decided to continue industrial action yesterday morning.
He said the union was in full agreement that sanitation workers needed better pay, given the nature of the job, and this was something they would continue to fight for, but appealed to the workers to allow the negotiation process to work.
Walrond also made it clear the Labour Department asked for the meeting, adding it was not a conciliation meeting where a dispute was resolved.
“Sanitation has not declared a dispute, NUPW has not declared a dispute. This was merely for the Labour Department to understand what is going on in terms of the national interest. They asked for a proper meeting to understand what the facts are around the matter with Sanitation,” Walrond said. (CA)
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