THE Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) has formed a sub-committee which is to commence exploratory talks soon with government on a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for public sector workers, newly-elected president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) Lambert Brown, said yesterday.

Brown, in his maiden speech to UAWU members after being elected by delegates to succeed Dr Trevor Munroe, said that both major political parties will need the support of a MOU for economic stability as government.

Brown was elected at a special congress of the union at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston which was called to name a new administration to succeed Munroe who had been president for the past 28 years.

Brown told the Observer that his administration would support continuity within the union, which now represents more than 80 plants across the island as well as sugar industry employees.

However, Brown used the opportunity of his first address as president to raise a number of issues which he said were of concern to him and his members.

He admitted that he was favourable to another MOU, as he feels that it offers the best chance for continued social dialogue. However, like his colleagues in the JCTU, he said that he would not agree to another wage freeze.

The MOU monitoring unit is scheduled to meet next week at the Ministry of Finance and Planning to discuss the future of the agreement, which expires at the end of March this year after two years of restricting pay increases, freezing employment and protecting the jobs of several thousand public servants.

Brown admitted that the unions has not handled the current MOU as well as they should, but promised that by appointing a sub-committee they would be preparing themselves to deal with the issue more appropriately this time.

“There cannot be, nor will there be any wage freeze in the upcoming negotiations. There cannot be,” he said firmly. “We have to get an increase, there is no doubt about that.” He said that the increase must be consistent with cost of living increases over the past two years.

Brown, in the meantime, accused the government of failing to fulfil some of the conditions of the MOU, but added that the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party should understand that if elected it, too, would need an MOU in order to achieve economic growth.

“The JLP is fooling themselves if they think when they come to power they won’t need an MOU,” he said.

Brown said that a JCTU team, including himself, would be speaking with workers around the island over the next few weeks to assess their position on the renewing of the MOU and the provisions which should be included.

In addition, he criticised the provisions of the new Pension Act and the proposed regulations and warned that the trade unions would take to the street if necessary, if the right to access their pension funds is taken away from the workers.

“Some businessmen in this country have taken people’s pension money and they have failed,” he said. “Leave me with the right as a worker to decide what I do with my contribution. Let me decide if I want to buy a house, or if I want to buy a stock. let me decide. We are prepared to lead any protest against anybody who take away our rights,” said the UAWU boss.

Meanwhile, he criticised the move at Jamalco where UAWU-represented workers who were fired three years ago for their involvement in an illegal strike were forced to register as private entities, with the Office of the Registrar of Companies, to get back their jobs. He also noted that the government is a part owner of the company.

Brown said that these actions undermined the democratic principles of freedom of association and freedom to bargain collectively and were harmful to society.

In addition, he also lashed out at banker Aubyn Hill for suggesting that redundancy payments were major disincentives for persons seeking to invest in manufacturing.

He said that Hill’s statement was particularly annoying in light of the fact that he had had allegedly received a huge ex-gratia payment after leaving the National Commercial Bank (NCB).