BWU says focus on better terms and conditions for public workers

The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) will not be lobbying for salary increases for public servants at this time.

Instead, General Secretary Toni Moore said, the union will be looking to secure improved terms and conditions of service for Government employees.

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) as well as the umbrella body for the island’s trade unions, the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), recently signalled their intention to seek a wage hike for public servants, given the increased cost of living in Barbados.

However, Moore told the media on Wednesday morning that a salary increase is not a pressing issue for the BWU, although it is “not off the cards”.

“The BWU signalled to the Government that whereas we may not focus so heavily on an increase, what we need to focus on – and it isn’t to say that the idea of an increase is off the cards – . . . is that there are more immediate and longer-term conditions that will have implications for people, not only during their working life but well into their post-working life into retirement that we need to have regularised and that is where our focus has been,” she said.

Noting that public sector workers received a raise in pay in 2018, the trade unionist said: “Since then, our effort and our focus has been on terms and conditions of service; terms and conditions of service that would regularise a number of the anomalies in the public sector which relate to people who have still been working in jobs, functioning for a number of years, whose jobs are not established and who would need to have those established so that they can be confirmed at higher levels.”

The BWU boss said there are also situations relating to changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as work arrangements.

“So, our focus is definitely that. The BWU has been working very, very hard with statutory boards in particular, trying to ensure that where workers, for instance in Government, have been put on contract that we have the Government observe all of the relevant legislation relating to what is a contract for service versus a contract of service,” she added.

Moore disclosed that the BWU had been able to get some workers at the Transport Board their rightful status so they would be remunerated and treated properly.

Earlier this month, NUPW general secretary Richard Green said public sector workers deserve a pay increase and now is the perfect time to get it.

“The NUPW historically has always made reasonable requests for raises of pay for public officers. At this time we find it a reasonable request to consider a raise in pay for public officers based on the very noticeable rise in the cost of basic goods and services. This is something we think can be considered. If not a raise of pay, consideration can also be given for some cost of living allowance for public officers,” the head of the island’s largest public sector trade union had said.

His comments came a week after CTUSAB called for a salary review in the public sector. randybennett@barbadostoday.bb