BOILING POINT!
A third day of crippling disruptions to crucial national services grew worse for the Government as it stared down the barrel of a possible strike by the island’s civil servants who have pointedly told the finance ministry that it was not adequately addressing their concerns over benefits.
Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) President Oneil Grant told the Jamaica Observer that the association has examined a response to its concerns from the finance ministry and was not pleased.
The JCSA had, on Wednesday, sent a memorandum to the ministry, reminding of the need to meet and discuss outstanding issues and to respond to the request by 5:00 pm that day. However, there was no response.
On Thursday, Grant said the JCSA sent word to the ministry highlighting the problem, and again indicated the need for a meeting to address them, failing which the association will step up the move to industrial action.
“It was condescending in some respects and did not deliver on some of the concerns that we asked to be addressed,” he said.
The JCSA’s demand came as the Government struggled on the ropes with a closure of the island’s air space by air traffic controllers, disgruntled by what they said was a malfunctioning radar system.
That followed a two-day strike by workers at the country’s water management agency that left thousands of Jamaicans without water.