THE Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and unions representing the approximately 1,500 disgruntled workers at the light and power company, yesterday struck a compromise, averting a strike and possible widespread disruptions in the country’s electricity supply today.

In the meantime, the management of the firm last night confirmed a meeting of the reconstituted oversight committee for tomorrow at its head office in Kingston, to discuss the vexed issue of the implementation of a job evaluation and compensation review.

The unions representing the JPS workers – National Workers Union (NWU), Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), and the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE), an affiliate of the NWU – yesterday served a 24-hour ultimatum on the company to settle the prolonged dispute over the reclassification and pay review, pending since 2002.

The unionised workers, who were upset with what they said was the “company’s delaying tactics”, called on the JPS to implement the recommendations arising from a job evaluation and compensation review done by Trevor Hamilton and Associates and Peat Marwick and Partners, respectively, in 2002 and which recommended commensurate increases after it was found that the salaries of most of the workers were not in keeping with market trends.

According to the workers, an arrangement should be made before the current 80 per cent shareholders Mirant Corporation hand over the reins to buyers Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese firm.

Following a lunch-hour picket by workers at three of the company’s offices in Kingston, St Elizabeth and Montego Bay yesterday, vice president of the BITU, Wesley Nelson, told the Observer that the “ball was in the company’s court”.

“.The company wants to go ahead and bring in an independent consultant to stall the implementation. We feel this is a delaying tactic now that the company is changing over and they are playing for time,” he said. “It is against this background the workers are saying enough is enough, and we can’t continue on this path. We don’t want to do anything to cause disruption, but if this is the only way we can get justice, then what is to be must be.”

In the meantime, Clive Dobson, president emeritus of the NWU, said the unions were prepared to retract if the response from the company indicated that the recommendations of the oversight committee would be implemented along with the correct salaries coming out of the report.

Outside of this, Dobson said there were no guarantees.