by Linda Straker
- Port workers downed tools on Monday
- Port pilots have also joined the workers in industrial action
- Breach of procedure considered summary offence under collective bargaining agreement
Traders report that millions are at stake and may be lost because of an industrial dispute at the Grenada Ports Authority (GPA). The industrial action is centred around the termination of an employee accused by the management of the port of breaching procedures in executing her duties.
Shipping agencies in Grenada report that goods importation and exportation are affected by the industrial action taken by workers represented by the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union (GTAWU).
One shipping agency that has a cargo vessel with 94 containers anchored outside of St George’s Harbour said that the containers contain both personal and commercial goods, and these containers may find themselves sailing right back to another port or the original port embarquement until the issue is resolved in Grenada.
“The vessel is currently in the outer harbour and if it sails out without discharging the goods, there will be a long delay for delivery because the waiting time for it to return to Grenada will not be clear. This means that lots of people will be affected by the delay,” said the manager of a shipping agency, who preferred to remain anonymous.
One of the vessels unable to berth has 94 containers scheduled to be released at the port and 6 containers with goods waiting for export. Two of the containers are nutmeg from the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA). The GCNA management was tightlipped as to how the untimely delivery of the nutmegs will affect the buyers.
Emmanuel Duncan of Southern Electrical Company Ltd was extremely unhappy with the situation because it was affecting the operations of his company. “This industrial action on the port is putting many of us in a position where we cannot deliver goods to customers. It is also throwing vessels off schedule; it’s just not a nice situation.” Duncan is the immediate former president of the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCIC).
The industrial action commenced on Monday, 14 November 2022. André Lewis, President of GTAWU, said that the issue concerns the summary termination of a female employee. She received her termination letter on Friday, 11 November 2022, and workers downed tools as of Monday.
Vessels cannot enter the harbour because the port pilots have joined the workers in the industrial action. The management of the port authority has issued a release calling on the workers to return to work because the action it took was in keeping with the collective bargaining agreement.
The release explained that through routine audit irregularities were identified and after a thorough investigation involving law enforcement, the findings showed that both the Port and the Government of Grenada were negatively impacted in its revenue.
The next step was an internal hearing between the management, the worker, and the GTAWU and it was agreed that the breach of procedure was considered a summary offence under the collective bargaining agreement. It was then that a decision was made to terminate the service of the employee.
The entire country has been negatively affected because one woman has been fired from her job….is it a case of woman power or union power….it maybe a message to the new government from a union boss