WORKERS are usually sad at receiving news if their jobs are to be cut, but it was the opposite for most employees of Advantage General Insurance (AGI) – formerly United General Insurance (UGI) – who were yesterday overjoyed at the news when a list with their names wAS circulated.

However, about four workers took the news hard when they were told that they were on the list to be cut.

Chief union delegate at the insurance company, Sharon Needham, said most workers jumped and screamed outside AGI’s Trafalgar Road head office in Kingston when they got word of their redundancy via a list that was issued by the company’s management.

But Needham and the National Workers Union (NWU) deputy island supervisor, Senator Naval Clarke still have one grouse that they will try to iron out in a meeting with Ministry of Labour officials today – the list has only the workers’ names and not their positions.

“The meeting will be to further discuss the matter in particular to the list: the categories of workers have been omitted. We have to make sure that the job is redundant,” Clarke said.

Eighty-three names were on the list of 192 of the company’s unionised workers, Clarke said.

The workers, who had been on strike since last Thursday over the company’s refusal to release the list of positions to be made redundant, returned to work yesterday pending this morning’s meeting.

Needham, a senior claims clerk, whose name is also on the list, said workers whose names were not on the list were disappointed.

“This is bondage you know. Nobody likes bondage. I am only sorry for those who are left behind,” said Needham, who has worked at the company for 18 years.

She added that in the last 12 years, she has been passed up for a promotion several times.

“And is not because mi not qualified or mi nuh know di work. Is because I am the chief delegate, and a thorn in their backs,” Needham added.

She added that workers were also disgruntled with the restructuring at the company since Michael Lee Chin’s AIC Group acquired it last year. The restructuring, Needham said, had reflected “scant regard” for the workers, as evidenced by the fact that employees were informed of the company’s name change from UGI to AGI almost overnight.

“We went home Friday, we worked for United General Insurance. We came to work Monday, we work for Advantage General Insurance,” she said.

She added that employees were notified of a training seminar in a similar fashion when they were told of the sessions on the day they were to begin.

“So people are rejoicing: ‘Freedom! Free at last! Free at last!’ a dat dem a seh,” Needham said.