A dispute between the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and the Barbados Lumber Company over non-payment of monies owed to employees who were made redundant could end up at the Labour Department.
The situation has also sparked a call from a senior union official for more protection for workers who are often left in the lurch by employers who opt to sever them without being in a position to pay severance.
The BWU’s deputy general secretary Dwaine Paul served notice on Thursday that a complaint against the Lumber Company may be filed as he told Barbados TODAY that the business owed thousands of dollars to workers who were recently let go.
He said after making a significant contribution to the development of the business over the years, the workers were now being treated unfairly.
“The BWU can confirm that members of the union who were dedicated employees of the Barbados Lumber Company were made redundant through a planned downsizing of the operation by management. The union would have met with the company to look at the process of selection of workers to exit the organisation and followed that process as outlined. “However, we have come to a point where the workers who would have given years of dedicated service, going up and beyond their duty, are now facing a situation where the company has not secured or has not paid over to the workers their funds due for vacation and notice and have appeared to referred the matter of severance to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).”
Paul said the BWU was very concerned about this process because notice pay and vacation pay were not funds that are forwarded through NIS to the workers.
“Something needs to be done to better protect workers because far too often we are seeing situations where companies take a decision to restructure its operations and sever labour but are not in a position to pay workers their due.
“And the mechanisms that are designed to support workers – NIS – take extremely long and therefore disadvantage workers who in Barbados live pay cheque to near pay cheque,” Paul said.
In January 2020, the Barbados Lumber Company, which has two branches in Waterford, St Michael and Speightstown, St Peter, sent letters to staff about its restructuring plans and about 46 people were sent home at that time.
In September this year, staff were informed that more workers would be going on the breadline.
A voluntary separation package was subsequently offered by the company, and out of 25 people who applied, 17 were approved.
Some of the workers reached out to Barbados TODAY complaining about that process as well as treatment by management.
“Only people who were considered as assets were not allowed to take the package and this offer was used as a guise,” said one worker who had 18 years with the company. “On September 30, we were given walking papers and were laid off. Some of us had dates to November while others have dates to December. So, technically, some of us are still employees of the Lumber Company.
“All of us have responsibilities, we have utility bills, rent, mortgages and have to send to school our children. So we hope someone can understand the pain we are going through, sympathise with us and give us our money.”
Another worker, who was employed for 13 years, said: “You could not find dedicated workers like Lumber Company workers. We would repaint the building and clean if the maids did not clean properly. People would even see us on the road and give us money to pay their bills or ask us to order material and deliver it to them. That was how committed we were. So now to be treated like this after all the hard work we put in?”
The former employees said they felt as though they were “begging” for their money.
“We should not have to beg for what is ours and there seems to be an attitude when we ask for our money. Every time I go down there on the dates that they tell me to come, there is always some issue, like I shouldn’t want what is mine . . . ,” said another frustrated worker who spent 20 years in the company.
When contacted by Barbados TODAY, chief executive officer of the Barbados Lumber Company Victor Taylor declined to comment at this time, saying it was an internal issue.
Meanwhile, Paul said if the company did not start paying the workers, the issue would escalate.
“They have been dealt an [unfair] blow and [this is] something the union has to support them in. When an institution makes a decision to sever workers it must do all it can, up to and including taking on financial debt, if necessary, to be able to make good to workers.
“So we are calling on the company to immediately move, whether it gets support from the rest of the business community or from their financial investors, and make good on the money it committed to its workers when it sat down and decided that it needed to downsize. In making that decision, the company knew full well that it had a financial obligation to its workers.
“The union, where necessary, will have to escalate the matter to the relevant labour authorities given that the payments have not been made.”
Paul said he could not sit and watch the workers be ill-treated. He contended that even if the company was experiencing challenges it had to find a way to do right by its employees.
“We cannot have this situation continue for months and years on end where workers are trying to get their severance or trying to get their notice pa
y or vacation pay while operations continue and managers continue to work and to be paid while workers are suffering and company assets still remain in play.
“So, some mechanism has to be worked out, whether . . . the workers are paid until the assets can be disposed of or whatever. Some mechanism needs to be created to end this type of treatment that is meted out to workers,” Paul said.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
