1 week ago
6
The President of the Public Service Union, Dean Flowers, is raising alarm tonight after reports surfaced that the 86 terminal workers across the country are allegedly being instructed to resign from their posts. Flowers told The Morning Show that the union has received multiple complaints from employees stationed at the bus terminals in Dangriga and Independence Village in the Stann Creek District. According to Flowers, workers reported that Chief Transport Officer Leon Gentle directed them to submit resignation letters by Friday, February 27. The PSU President has strongly disputed that reported directive, insisting that the Chief Transport Officer does not have the legal authority to compel public officers to resign. Flowers is advising affected workers not to submit resignation letters and instead to familiarize themselves with their rights under the public service regulations. He says the union is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to support any employee who feels pressured. However, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Transport, Williams, says the information circulating is misleading. He confirmed that he has already met with PSU President Dean Flowers to discuss the concerns. He also confirmed that the ministry is making preparations in terms of the transition of human resources at the terminals across the country. According to CEO Williams aside from meeting with the PSU President this afternoon, they have also met with the Labour Commissioner.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport: “In keeping with the spirit of the law, the Chief Transport Officer and the legal counsel for the ministry, Mr. Sambollah, are going around the country and are notifying the employees of the terminal as they are the ones who are going to be affected by this, of the transition that will occur. From my communication with them and also based on my instruction to them. There is no truth to them telling the terminal workers that they must resign by Friday of this week. What was instructed to them and from what I have gathered from them is that they met with the terminal workers, explained to them what is taking place, and gave them the options that are available to them. Now remember that the National Bus Company is going to need employees and will need employees at the terminal as well. And so what we want to do is to make sure that we have a transition period between the 1st of March and the end of August whereby those persons who are currently employed at the terminal and even those who are employed at the various bus companies that now form part of the National Bus Company, they will be brought on board with the National Bus Company and they will have that four months period where they can decide if they want to remain with the company or if for some reason they don’t meet the criteria for employment then we’ll have to find ways for the terminal workers how are we going to settle with them. I know for a fact that we have some terminal workers who may be employed for maybe nine years plus, some having ten years plus. Those with ten years plus would be entitled to gratuity. Those with nine years and not having completed ten years would not yet be entitled to gratuity, but as a part of the bargaining tool, it would be wise to ensure that we take into consideration that these people will not be able to meet the ten years mark because of this transition and that’s where the PSU will come in to see how they can bargain on behalf of these people that they can get the best possible result from this transition.”
Williams also outlined the ministry’s intended path forward as government continues its transition toward the National Bus Company framework, including how workers may be engaged going forward. He also noted that those currently employed with the various bus companies would have to settle with their employers in order to start fresh under the National Bus Company.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport: “We will not disenfranchise nobody of their benefits. If anything were to happen they must gain not lose and that is a spirit at which we are operating in this transition period. The labor commissioner and the labor department must play a role as well, as well as the union. So we will do this as smoothly as we can with the view to make sure that employees are not disenfranchised. This is not happening because of them, so they should not be allowed to suffer for it. Some of them are governed by the GWR which is open vote workers, temporary employment. So these are things that we have to look at the end of the day. But you have some of them who have been temporary employed for a number of years. And so we have to make sure that the years that they have count in their benefit.”
Reporter: Is Dangriga and Independence the first stop in terms of these conversations with the workers?
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport: “Yes, today the team, Mr. Sambula and the CTO are in Orange Walk and Corozal.”
Reporter: In terms of reports that you’ve gotten from the CTO and Sambula, what has the reception been like by these terminal workers?
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport: “Well, from what I get from them the workers seem to be optimistic about it, for the most part. If that is so that is good news for us. But at the end of the day as optimistic as they may be, we still need to make sure that their rights is protected.”
Reporter: In terms of the process, you said that some of these very same workers would be employed by the National Bus Company. Is this a case where they would have to reapply for employment with the bus company or would it be like a transition of sorts?
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport: “It can be a transition because the terms of employment will have to change. And so they will have to reapply for the position under the National Bus Company. But certainly again, if there are other persons from outside would apply, those who are employed with the terminal in that position will be given priority for the employment as opposed to somebody new.”
The situation remains under close watch by the Public Service Union as discussions continue between the union and government officials regarding the future of transport personnel at the terminals across the country.
English (US) ·