THE Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) wants the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to review the bargaining rights provisions of the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act (LRIDA).

According to the union’s assistant island supervisor, Kavan Gayle, the provisions are being made ineffective by the delay tactics used by employers, which often frustrate the process.

“The trade union movement has to push for changes to these regulations. It is something the ministry has to address, urgently,” Gayle said.

He was supported by the union’s senior negotiating officer, Clayson Panton, who has suggested that the ministry respond to the delays by setting timelines for the delivery of information it requests from the parties.

“We need time limits to go forward. The administrative process is taking too long for something which has to do with people’s basic rights,” he said.

Gayle gave as an example of the union’s concern, the representational rights issue at the St Ann Bauxite Company which has been dragging on since December 2006.

“We have satisfied all the criteria for that poll and we are still waiting on the company to forward the list of employees to the Ministry of Labour, so that the ministry can compile the voters’ list. But, there is this long delay and the workers are getting restive,” he added.

The union is seeking to represent 70 junior managers, engineers and information technology specialists at St Ann Bauxite Company (formerly Kaiser Jamaica) since December 2006 when it filed representational rights claims at the ministry.

The ministry acknowledged the BITU claim but says it is taking the necessary steps under the LRIDA to facilitate the process for the holding of a poll.

St Ann Bauxite in Discovery Bay, previously owned by Kaiser Aluminum and the Government of Jamaica, was bought in 2004 by Falconbridge Limited and Century Aluminum.