The Tribune

By Morgan Adderley

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of National Insurance Board employees demonstrated yesterday outside the entity’s Baillou Hill Road headquarters, after President of the Union of Public Officers Marvin Duncombe said the group had reached an “impasse” in negotiations with management.

Speaking to reporters Mr Duncombe said unfair hiring practices, a broken operational system, and disputes about compensation packages are among the many issues the line-staff union has with NIB.

He accused the director and board of directors of operating “without good faith”, and constantly rescinding offers they have put forth under the claim that they “made a mistake”.

“If I made a mistake of this nature, here’s what I would do: I would tender my resignation, forthwith,” Mr Duncombe said angrily, adding the executives treat the line-staff as though the latter are “illegitimate” children.

Mr Duncombe also threatened to hold another demonstration today. “We are prepared to do anything to make sure that we get what is justice and what is right for our people,” he added.

Yesterday’s demonstration took place just after 10am and lasted 20 minutes. Dozens of members formed a crowd around Mr Duncombe and shouted, “enough is enough” as the union president spoke passionately against NIB.

“We’ve come here because we’ve reached an impasse in our negotiations,” Mr Duncombe told reporters. “Our director and the board of directors and those persons responsible have decided we don’t deserve to have anything in this agreement. They’ve made an offer to us and they’ve taken it off the table, they’ve operated without good faith and we are here to send a very strong message to the director, and to the board of directors, and to the chairman and all those persons responsible for (NIB) and let them know that we will not be taken for granted.”

One major issue is the broken V3 system, he said. “We are sick and tired of the way that (NIB) has been operating,” Mr Duncombe said. “Over the last several months we’ve seen a decline in the morale of our people because it seems as if everything that’s been made seem to be a mistake.

“Three years ago, they have introduced the V3 system, that’s the insurance administration system, that has been broken from it was introduced. The minister came to us last year and has brought people in from the public service and all kinds of professionals to see how he can fix the system and has promised us that he will give us a report on the update of the system.

“Our people cannot get their benefits, they cannot get maternity benefits, taking (up to) eight weeks to get one claim. It’s because of our broken system. And we continue to work with it.

“And yet as it comes to compensation they refuse to give us anything as it relates to compensation because they see us as a mistake.”

Mr Duncombe said his union has been in negotiations with the director and executive management for the last six weeks. However, he accused the director of refusing to “operate in in good faith”, adding the director put an offer on the table and then rescinded it, “very disingenuously”.

Another source of contention is what Mr Duncombe called unfair hiring practices. According to the union president, the company hired a woman on a Family Island on a salary of $30,000 who possesses no national examinations or high school diploma.

“And yet that person is hired as a private secretary, when our people at NIB who have been here for a long time who are intimately qualified cannot get the opportunity for a promotion or any advancement,” Mr Duncombe said.

Mr Duncombe said he does not know when the next meeting with executives will be, underscoring that negotiations have reached an impasse.

“You know what upsets me about this? When the director can come to me, last three weeks, and say ‘well we’re putting a claim course on. We budget for the claim course. But now I’ve got to cut the claim course because we made a mistake. It’s over-budgeted.’

“Three weeks later, we in the negotiation, and she put an offer on the table, and she comes back and say, ‘we’ve made a mistake’.

“In Abaco, you made a mistake- how much mistake NIB need to make? If you can’t operate as a competent person then you don’t need to be here. That’s my message.

“We don’t seem to be able to trust the word of any of the executive management.”

NIB director Nicola Virgill-Rolle declined comment when contacted yesterday, citing ongoing negotiations.