Scores of people who turned up at Caribbean Cement Company’s pier at Rockfort in Kingston yesterday to board the world’s largest floating book fair — the Logos Hope ship — went home disappointed and empty-handed.

The ship, which is visiting Kingston from May 12 to June 11, was closed amidst a strike by employees of the cement company.In an official statement yesterday, the

Logos Hope said though it had previously planned to open its doors from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, it was closed to the public “due to a strike at Caribbean Cement Company Ltd (CCCL)… until further notice.“We are grateful for the warm welcome in Kingston and hope the situation is resolved to the satisfaction of all those involved so that we can once again open to the public,” the release said.Yesterday, the cement company said in a release that it is currently in negotiations with one of its unions, the National Workers’ Union (NWU), to reach a new collective labour agreement.CCCL also said that it had informed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security about the industrial action.“We are acutely aware of the importance of our company returning to normalcy and will be working through the approved channels to achieve this in the shortest possible time,” the company said.The cement company’s Corporate Communication and Public Relations Manager Sophia Lowe Pinnock told the

Jamaica Observer yesterday it was unfortunate that the actions of the employees had affected the operations of the

Logos Hope.“Unfortunately, as well, the employees decided to affect the Logos ship operations, and it’s very sad to see children who came out from all over the island, from as far as Mandeville, that were unable to access the ship because of the strike action taken by the employees,” she said.Lowe Pinnock said, however, that the company is working to ensure that it gets back to normality as soon as possible.“We understand that what normally happens once you have a strike, especially if no notice was given, the Ministry of Labour would rule — usually it is get back to work as negotiations cannot be had with people on strike — so we are awaiting the ministry’s intervention in the matter, and we have always been willing and very respectful of our employees as it relates to this process.”In the meantime, Lowe Pinnock expressed shock at the actions of the employees.“Caribbean Cement is in negotiations with the National Workers’ Union and we came in this morning (yesterday) and saw that they have closed the gate and, as customary, we respect the negotiation process, so we are quite surprised that they decided to do that,“ she told the

Observer.She said that the strike, has affected the company’s operations as its production lines were down and it was not dispatching from its factory.When the

Observer visited Rockfort yesterday afternoon, placard-bearing workers were seen at the gates of the company.One of the employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, held nothing back while airing his grouse.“It is not fair for the present Mexicans giving the proposal of five per cent on the redundancy package to the workforce, or take three per cent if you don’t want to take the five per cent redundancy… That’s the most yuh a guh get? That is modern-day slavery,” the employee said.He also accused the Government of being “in league” with the company.“The working people in Jamaica have no rights. No man, this is not fair,” he continued. “Wi working for the country, wi paying wi tax, and yet still expatriates can come here and dictate how we Jamaicans fi live.”The placard-bearing employee added: “We are suffering too long… 11 months of negotiations and we cannot get nothing more than three per cent.”Speaking with

Observer last night, NWU General Secretary Granville Valentine outlined the concerns of the workers.“There is disquiet among workers in general about management’s style, to include the fact that people are being made redundant constantly… the workers are of the view that they are not treated genuine,” he said.“They also believe there are to many expatriates within the company, and that these expatriates are really taking up space that Jamaicans would’ve normally occupied,” he continued. “As it relates to wage negotiations, there are some concerns because we have a position that the company placed on the table… that position is not acceptable from the background that the workers should be treated better.”According to Valentine, the NWU’s argument is that a company that is making good profit should share the spoils.“There is absolutely no good reason for any company to be saying, ‘I am making profit but I am not willing to share that profit fair (and) just’, and that is a huge part of the concern from the workers,” he told the

Observer.He said the offer on the table is “three per cent, an $80,000 lump sum, and they offered a further amount of four per cent, $30,000, and if inflation goes beyond [the expected level] they will pay the inflationary difference in December”.“That is not a bad deal in and of itself, since we are of the view that inflation will go higher, and as a result the workers will get something better. The concern from the workers’ point of view is why is it that the company should wait on inflation in order to give the proper increase when the company is doing well,” he explained.Valentine also revealed that, following a meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security yesterday evening, a back-to-work agreement was reached with the understanding that the stakeholders will meet early next month to continue dialogue on wage and fringe benefits.The workers are expected to return to work at 6:00 am today.Also, the

Logos Hope reopened its doors late yesterday and said it will open during the days advertised as of today.