THE Ministry of Labour and Social Security yesterday obtained an injunction in the Supreme Court aimed at blocking supervisory staff at Alumina Partners (Alpart), Nain, St Elizabeth from going on strike Monday morning.

Word came last night that UTASP had withdrawn its threat.

But taking no chances, Alpart’s General Manager Darrel Harriman immediately set the Alpart plant in shut-down mode, pending indications from the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), which represents the supervisors, that normality would resume.

The well-rehearsed shut down process, which takes approximately 72 hours to complete, kicked in yesterday in response to the UTASP strike notice served on the company late Thursday. The process is provided for in the plant’s manual and wage pact with the trade unions.

In a notice published midday Saturday, Harriman said the shutdown was to protect the plant and ensure that Alpart could safely shut down and restart at a later date.

UTASP issued the strike threat Thursday night, in protest against the company’s failure to come to terms with the two outstanding issues from last Saturday’s conciliatory talks at the labour ministry, which averted a strike last Monday.

The two issues are the company’s decision to reduce its participation in medical assistance for retired workers, and the union’s demand for the removal of two managers – administrative director, Robert McKay and human resource manager, Carlton Fearon.

Moving to pre-empt the strike, labour and social security minister, Horace Dalley requested the Attorney-General’s office to invoke its authority under the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act (LRIDA) to take out an injunction barring industrial action at the plant.

The court yesterday granted the injunction, ordering that the supervisors be restrained for 30 days from carrying out any industrial action.

In the meantime, UTASP’s representatives showed up at the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) yesterday in response to Thursday’s letter from the IDT threatening to go ahead with hearings on its pay and fringe benefits dispute with Alpart, without the union’s participation.

Section 16(a) of the LRIDA gives the panel the right to proceed, if one of the parties to the disputes refuses to take part. UTASP had refused to sit with Fearon at the IDT hearing.

The tribunal panel, comprising Donovan Hunter, chairman; Evert Palmer; and Trevor McNish, with Secretary Nicola Smith-Marriott, will sit again on Tuesday.

balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com