Jamaica’s petrol tanker drivers, who have been waiting several years for an increase in their wages, are about to benefit from improved adjustments to their payment conditions.

It has been seven years since their last substantive pay increase, just about the same number of years since they lost the leadership of the president of the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) Vincent Morrison, and have been unable to make more urgent demands on their bosses in the Petroleum Haulage Contractors Association (PHCA).

The way tanker drivers see it, for six years (2013-2019), they had lost their most competent, and aggressive union leader, Morrison, who was forced out of the leadership of the National Workers’ Union (NWU) and, in the process, lost the ability to command above-average wages and fringe benefits improvements from their employers.

The drivers formed their own Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Association (PTDA) and started negotiating their wage issues, with the support of UCASE, in 2019. But, after being forced out of the NWU, Morrison took complete control of UCASE, the NWU’s former white-collar arm, and opened it up to blue-collar workers, including the petroleum tanker drivers.

Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology (SET) Fayval Williams decided to approach the issue as it should have been done from 2014. When Williams moved on to become Minister of Education, Youth and Information, incoming minister Daryl Vaz decided to stick with the programme and has since been reaping some success.

Vaz told the House of Representatives, Tuesday, that the rates for haulage contractors and tanker drivers are to be changed from hourly rates to a per litre per trip basis, which should lead to a substantial increase in wages.

The announcement came amidst claims by UCASE that tanker drivers were again restive, after waiting the last four years on a new wage and fringe benefits agreement.

Morrison said that they had failed to arrive at a settlement with the haulage contractors after several meetings. He confirmed that the tanker drivers had threatened industrial action if they were denied a meeting to discuss the issues. However, he said that he was expecting the proposals from Vaz.

Responding, Morrison said that he had “done a remarkable job,” as he paid tribute to him and his ministry staff, as well as the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association and the marketing companies.

“There was co-operation all around, and everybody recognised that a gap ad existed and that something had to be done to help the drivers and help the country, by extension,” Morrison said about the recent negotiations.

The committee was chaired by Wayne Chen, chairman of Petrojam, and was named the Joint Petroleum Working Group (JPWG).

Vaz also announced his decision to replace the Petroleum Act, in order to improve the development and management of petroleum resources.

He said that the draft of the Bill was received from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) last July and is currently being reviewed by the ministry. Completion of further drafting instructions is set for February 28, 2022.