Union cries foul at BADMC

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has said it is still waiting to see if Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir would intervene in what it describes as a “reign of terror” at the state-run Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC).

Acting General Secretary of the NUPW Wayne Walrond said today while the union was anxious to return to the bargaining table to hammer out a collective agreement for disgruntled workers, the BADMC appears to be adopting delaying tactics.

Walrond said the company seems to be heading in a direction where it wants to shut out the union from being able to properly discuss terms and conditions of employment.

“When it comes to IR [industrial relations] matters and labour management, they prefer to do their own thing and to keep out the union. It seems that is what they prefer. They think that with the union present, the union might want to curb some of the perceived wrongs or injustices that workers are complaining of.  But there is a sense of unease among employees across the corporation…they are describing it as a reign of terror,” the union leader told Barbados TODAY.

He also said that the BADMC has set up a new internal tribunal to deal with disciplinary matters and has even hired lawyers to represent management.

Meanwhile, the NUPW Acting General Secretary said there was a worrying trend among some employers where more and more unfair practices are taking place.

He noted that employers are using their authority to victimize workers.

However Walrond warned that the NUPW had no intention of giving up the fight for its members