Workers and management at the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) are moving urgently to resolve tensions over a disputed performance incentive scheme, Barbados TODAY has learnt, following what the SSA described as a wildcat strike weeks ago that disrupted refuse collection services across the island.
Discussions, said to be at a sensitive stage, will determine whether changes are needed to the scheme, which is tied to the achievement of specific operational goals by staff.
“The industrial action they took was over what we were paying out… So, the question is, the parties are discussing what, if any, changes are necessary for the scheme,” a source close to the talks told Barbados TODAY. He spoke on condition of anonymity owing to the sensitive stage of the talks.
In July, refuse collectors walked off the job in protest at the amounts paid under the scheme and other working conditions.
The performance allowance was paid, even though targets were not met.
With performance at 34 per cent, management still approved discretionary payments, which workers deemed unsatisfactory, resulting in a stoppage that left refuse collection vehicles parked and triggered widespread anxiety over possible disruption to island-wide services.
“When they had the strike,” the source said, “there was going to be a follow-up meeting in October to discuss the incentive plan. So that meeting has occurred. The next payment is not due until the third week of this month. Whether they are going to get angry again is another matter. But at least the meeting with the union would have happened, with management reviewing the process and how it should go forward.
“There was a follow-up meeting between the SSA and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) in relation to the incentive payment, which would have sparked industrial unrest… and the parties are discussing the process of any further implementation.
“They wanted a meeting. They have had a meeting, and we are discussing it to ensure that everyone is on the same page before the next payment.”
During the industrial action, some workers said they received incentive payments of $700, others $400, and some only $100.
SSA spokesman Carl Padmore later confirmed in a statement that the industrial action, initiated by a group of employees and described as a “wildcat strike”, was in response to the recent disbursement of the performance incentive allowance.
“The workers have expressed dissatisfaction with the amount paid under the allowance scheme,” he said.
Padmore explained that the performance incentive allowance “was introduced as a motivational measure and is contingent upon the achievement of clearly defined operational targets — specifically, tipping targets agreed upon by management, staff, and worker representatives”.
He added: “Unfortunately, these targets were not met, with performance reaching only 34 per cent of the established benchmark. Despite this shortfall, and as a gesture of good faith aimed at promoting continued improvement in productivity and morale, management approved discretionary payment.”
Workers also voiced dissatisfaction with the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and back pay issues.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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