GENERAL Secretary of the Union of Schools Agricultural and Allied Workers (USAAW) Keith Comrie says his absence from Tuesday’s public sector wage agreement signing at Jamaica House was primarily due to his inability to get a change in the time for the ceremony.

“I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the function,” Comrie, who is also chairman of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions’ (JCTU) public sector committee, told the Jamaica Observer.

Comrie says he intends to sign the agreement today. However, he could not speak for the other two union leaders who failed to sign on Tuesday — St Patrice Ennis, general secretary of the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP) and James Francis, president of the United Union of Jamaica (UUJ). It is understood that Ennis was out of town Tuesday and Francis had not been informed.

Comrie pointed out that the decision to sign the agreement Tuesday was taken by the unions approximately 90 minutes before the invitation was sent out by the Office of the Prime Minister to the press to cover the ceremony.

“We looked at the latest draft from the ministry, and we recognised some necessary changes had been made. I think that we can live with that for, at least, the next 16 months,” he said.

Comrie confirmed that the unions received three successive draft Heads of Agreement between July 31 and August 10 from the Ministry of Finance and Planning in response to their objections.