KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has called an emergency conciliatory meeting for 2:30 pm today at its North Street offices to meet with representatives from the National Water Commission (NWC) and the unions representing workers.

More than 1,200 National Water Commission (NWC) workers stopped working islandwide this morning in protest over a decision by the NWC’s management to transfer their health insurance coverage from Medecus to Sagicor.

The strike could seriously hamper the commission’s efforts to meet the public’s demand for water, in the midst of one of the island’s worst drought in many years.

The five unions that are expected to attend the meeting are the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO), the National Workers Union (NWU), the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), the NWC Executive Staff Association, and the Union of Private and Public Employees (formerly JUPOPE).

The Labour Ministry said the meeting is being called to deal with the industrial action taken by workers.