KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) is calling for a meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security following the collapse of wage negotiations with Hawkeye Electronic Security Limited regarding security personnel stationed at the British High Commission.

In a January 17 letter to the ministry, UCASE president Vincent Morrison said the union was displeased with Hawkeye’s “paltry 5 per cent increase” for a one-year contract.

“When properly analysed, some categories of the British high commission security staff would be earning less than 5 per cent adjustment to their basic salary,” Morrison said.
While admitting that workers were happy with the fringe benefits package, the president said wages were the main issue now.

“We consider the operations to be an essential service and in an effort to avoid [unpleasantness], we would be most happy to see an amicable outcome of these negotiations. However, we are not at all encouraged by the industrial relations posture of the company and as such; we are not in a position to wait much longer to have the workers’ claims settled,” he warned in the letter.

UCASE argues that Hawkeye has not implemented the full amount of the last minimum wage adjustment and that the officers should be paid UK minimum wage as they are effectively working for the British government.

Disagreements over the effective retroactive period of the new contract also contributed to the breakdown of negotiations following nine meetings, according to Morrison.

Morrison also alleges that the company denied the workers scholarship benefits for their children, staff loans and end-of-year payments on the grounds that the workers are in negotiations, which he describes as “union-busting tactics.”