by Donella Hosten
The time is quickly approaching for the Government and the Trade Unions to return to the negotiating table. Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Public Workers’ Union (PWU), Brian Grimes, says they “anticipate a fair settlement in July.”
According to Grimes, the parties are on the cusp of completing salary negotiations. However, the one-off payment is still outstanding. He is confident that they have a solid negotiating team.
The Government has already delivered on their $1,000 payment made earlier this year, and “the PWU and GTAWU are quite confident that they will get substantially more than what was put on the table,” Grimes commented.
One of the main reasons the unions are so confident about the upcoming negotiations is due to the performance levels of Customs Department and the Inland Revenue. Grimes noted that these 2 departments have been performing at record levels in terms of revenue collections, since the beginning of the Structural Adjustment Programme.
When asked about their next course of action if the Government does not offer satisfactory negotiations, the PRO noted that although they “do not like to exercise the strike card,” they will, if needs be, do what is necessary for their workers.
