KINGSTON, Jamaica — The clerical and administrative staff at the National Housing Trust (NHT) staged a sickout on Thursday morning to register their frustration with a reported collapse in wage negotiations between unions representing the workers and the company’s administration.

Garfield Harvey, third vice president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), which has been representing the workers in wage negotiations, said the workers are displeased with the management’s attitude towards wage negotiations.

“The clerical and administrative staff generally called in sick today. That’s a result of the managers, and the companies’ leaders’ attitude to the current negotiations. We have requested information from them relative to offers that they have made, which are woeful offers. They have made official offers of two per cent in year one, four per cent in year two, and another four per cent in their proposed year three. We have said that we are willing to accept 20 per cent over three years if we agree to a three-year contract,” Harvey said.

According to Harvey, the union has been calling for information surrounding the pay grade for certain job categories which are yet to be provided.

“We have asked for information about the relativity between the categories and what the pay would look like if we accept these numbers from them. We asked for this information last Friday. We asked them to provide it to us by Monday so that we could have sight of it and then be able to speak to our members and make a decision, or at least be able to see exactly what is being proposed. We have had no response from the company about these requests,” Garvey said.

The trade unionist stressed that this information is essential for the union to negotiate in “good faith” on the behalf of workers.

“What the company needs to do is to provide the information that the union has requested. This is not even an action of whether or not the numbers are sufficient. We don’t believe the numbers are sufficient. But in order for us to make informed decisions, we need to be able to know exactly what it is that we’re talking about. People don’t spend percentages. People spend money. So let’s see what the money looks like,” Garvey urged.

The vice president said the industrial action may continue if the company refuses to share the requested information in order for the workers to make an informed decision.

“If the company refuses to do that which is required by law, which is to share information with the genuine bargaining agents on behalf of the members and not of the bargaining union, then we will have to continue to take whatever action we believe is necessary to secure the workers’ rights,” Harvey added.

Efforts by Observer Online to get a comment from the management of the National Housing Trust were unsuccessful up to the time of publication.