KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) has warned that unionised workers at UC Rusal local bauxite company

, Windalco, could take industrial action if the company follows through on its threats to withhold payment from employees who refuse to sign independent contracts.

According to UCASE, the management of UC Rusal is forcing the contracts on workers who insist that any changes to their terms and conditions of employment must be discussed and agreed upon their behalf by the union.

“The company is trying to circumvent and undermine the union by coercing the workers to sign new contracts, many of which expire July 7, 2018. The workers are objecting to certain clauses in the new contracts which denies them redundancy payments, overtime payment, payment for public holiday and no pension benefits which are substandard arrangements and which are not in keeping with comparative benefits currently existing in the bauxite and alumina industry,” outlined UCASE in a release today.

The union said it has had several meetings with UC Rusal’s management in which it pointed out that the company should await a decision from the Industrial Dispute Tribunal (IDT) with which both parties had 26 meetings, the final being on March 8.

“…The decent way to handle the matter is not to coerce workers into signing the agreement but rather to await the IDT ruling”.

UCASE said since UC Rusal has refused “this reasonable position”, it is contemplating legal action by way of an injunction to prevent the company from issuing the contracts to workers.