The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

Employees of the National Insurance Board protested yesterday after negotiations over a new industrial agreement failed.  

Speaking to reporters outside of NIB’s headquarters during the workers’ morning tea break, Ghion Roach, Union of Public Officers (UPO) president, said they walked off the job because the union wants to send a message.

The workers plan to take a strike vote tomorrow.

Mr Roach said: “We’ve been ignored for too long; we’ve been disrespected, and we’ve been disregarded. The union has not been dealt with fairly and we’re here to let management know this Friday the union is prepared to take it to the polls and have a strike vote. The outcome of that vote will be yes, and we will send the message loud and clear.  

“The main issue is the executive managers refuse to come back to the table. We’ve had stalled negotiations from April. The matter has been intervened by the Department of Labour and it’s now October and we still haven’t had no resolution.” 

He added: “We had a contract that expired December of last year. We went back to the table in February - negotiations stalled in April. We’ve been trying to get the director back to the table, her team and her, and they have outright told us no.” 

Mr Roach said he’s spoken to the minister of the public service and National Insurance to no avail. 

“(I spoke to the minister and) there has been no resolution from the minister’s office as well. We’ve had conciliators in the persons of Reverend Ranford Patterson and John Pinder, the director of labour, and to this date we still have not had a resolution,” he said. 

“We are here to say enough is enough. Friday we will vote yes, and we will show them that we will withdraw our services if (they) will continue to treat us with disrespect. We just wanted to get the message sent and I wanted to speak to the members to let them know Friday, we will be voting yes to support the strike action.”

He added: “I have 405 members in the Union of Public Officers. We have the support of the (Trade Union) Congress as well as the manager’s union. We are going to stand together and send the message loud and clear.”

Public Managers Union President F Cassandra Cartwright-Lewis said her union is standing in solidarity with the UPO, adding, her union is also having similar issues with the government. 

Mrs Cartwright-Lewis said: “We have had some conversations and meetings with management, and they have not worked out well. We cannot continue in the stead we are going in. The unions and management are better served by having relationships where we can sit down and amicably resolve matters.

“We are making a call to all of our affiliates, this seems to be a trend in regards to many of the institutions where management have the impression that they are free to do whatever they feel like doing with no regard to the fact that there is an industrial agreement in place and there are regulations and rules that govern our behaviour, both ours and theirs.”

When asked to comment on the issue, Minister of National Insurance Brensil Rolle said he was engaged in talks with the union “up until September.”

Mr Rolle said: “I asked them to give me some time, give me a month. Which they did, they gave me a month and it wasn’t a complete month, let me say it that way. I was told today they were initiating a strike vote which they did. 

“. . .They’re saying that they intend to take industrial action because of one unfair dismissal and I challenge them on that because as far as I know, and I do have on my phone a letter signed by the president of the union, where this matter was settled by the union and the union agreed that the matter was settled. The individual who settled with NIB, settled with what he thought was his best interest and so I was surprised that was an issue. “

He added: “I had a meeting with the executives of the union, and it was only one matter that was outstanding to me. I asked them to further consider the matter and when I spoke to the union again they could not comprehend that they will not go forward with things that they said to me they can live with but they took it to their members and the members denied it. What do you want me to do in those circumstances?

“Here am I offering, suggesting, looking at a package. If you hear the numbers, it’s astounding in my view.”

Mr Rolle urged all sides to be reasonable in the negotiations.

In a statement yesterday, NIB apologised for any service disruption customers experienced due to the employees’ protest.

Despite the employees’ frustration, NIB said “tremendous headway” was made over the last six months in negotiations for a new industrial agreement, “with only a few articles remaining to be concluded.”

NIB also said: “Since May 2019, the negotiations were moved by the UPO to the minister of the public service and National Insurance. Management has been advised that negotiations were continuing. NIB continues to meet on an ongoing basis and work in good faith with both of its unions, the Union of Public Officers and Public Managers Union (PMU), to address issues that arise and to foster good relations.”

NIB said the industrial agreement for the PMU, which represents management staff, expires in December and negotiations for a new agreement are expected to commence shortly.

“NIB is grateful to the hardworking staff and management who continue to operate the customer facing offices during any disruption in service. NIB remains focused and committed to providing good customer service despite any operational challenges which may arise. In cases of disruption, management will continue to trigger its contingency plans to fulfil NIB’s mandate and provide service to its stakeholders,” the agency said.