JUTC, union to continue talks at labour ministry today
THE Ministry of Labour and Social Security will seek to address several issues affecting staff of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) during a meeting today.
Corporate communications manager at the JUTC Cecil Thoms has confirmed that the parties will be meeting, starting at 11:00 am today, to discuss a number of issues which have been raised by the employees of the State-owned bus company who walked off the job on Monday, March 29.
With scores of commuters stranded in the Kingston Metropolitan Region, the labour ministry intervened and convinced the workers to resume duties less than 24 hours after they walked off the job.
Late last week Clifton Grant, first vice-president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), which represents the workers, told the Jamaica Observer that the ministry talks will take place.
Grant noted that one of the major grouses of the workers – the deduction of money which was paid as an advance on salaries in December and deducted from their March salaries – has been settled.
“Everybody was refunded, and the discussions will be a follow-up to review some of the concerns which have been raised within the bargaining unit about anomalies in the public sector compensation review,” Grant said.
He also pointed out that the union was seeking to complete the discussions on the outstanding issues arising from the compensation review at the meetings with the ministry.
