KINGSTON, Jamaica – Normality is expected to return Friday to two of the nation’s main public agencies- the Petrojam Oil Refinery and the National Water Commission (NWC) – affected by worker protests involving six of the island’s trade unions.

However, while the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) was able to report that the issues which led to the work stoppages by the workers at both agencies, and follow-up meetings which are likely to lead to full resumption, some labour leaders would not say whether the prolong disputes were close to a settlement.

READ: Petrojam’s UCASE-represented employees return to work

President of the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory (UCASE), Vincent Morrison, told the Observer Online that while the talks between the unions and the management of the refinery were proceeding, he was “really disappointed” with the developments which he described as “really rocky”.

Up to 6:00 pm Thursday, it was indicated that the union and the technical personnel at the refinery were still unable to resolve the pay issues at a meeting at the MLSS, North Street, Kingston.Technical service workers at Petrojam staged a sick-out on Wednesday after reaching a gridlock over the months- long wage negotiations.

Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jnr, invited the union and its members to the first meeting on Wednesday. He later announced that there would be another meeting starting at 2:00 pm. on Thursday. Morrison confirmed that a meeting was held last night, but was unable to give an update.

“It is my expectation that the union and its membership will ensure that normalcy is resumed by October 12, 2023, to facilitate our further conciliatory talks. Let me use this opportunity to urge the workers to resume normalcy in the spirit of amicable labour relations. I give the Ministry of Labour and Social Security a commitment that we will take all necessary actions towards a speedy resolution,” Morrison said on Wednesday.

Morrison’s said that the technical workers’ complaints were that an agreement was reached between the management and the union on the wage negotiations, but the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service had intervened in the negotiations, granting approval for a lower offer that was initially agreed to by both the staff and management at Petrojam.

In the meantime, Minister with responsibility for Water and the Environment, Senator Matthew Samuda, said yesterday there is no truth to rumours that the NWC sick-out was supported by 70 per cent of its NWC’s employees.

“The issues that are yet to be resolved, coming out of the recent heads of agreement, as well as other legacy issues are actually being worked through. We had a meeting scheduled even before this disquiet for tomorrow, with union heads looking at our current climate related to industrial relations within the NWC,” Samuda noted.

“We had a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, even before this disquiet, with union heads looking at our current climate related to industrial relations within the NWC,” he said.

However, he admitted that there was some disquiet in the maintenance department, both east and west, some at Marescaux Road and some at the western unit offices.

“That disquiet we believe will be resolved very quickly, and I am in contact with the board and the board is in contact with the union leaders,” he concluded.

The unions involved are: the National Workers Union (NWU), the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO), The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) and the NWC Executive Staff Association. They recently wrote to the board as well as Prime Minister Andrew Holness, requesting the removal of Mark Barnett as president of the NWC.

They said that the workers had lost confidence in Barnett’s leadership of the commission, after the management allegedly reneged on agreements they had reached at the Ministry of Labour prior to the current issues.

– Balford Henry