NUPW reportedly seeking 11 per cent hike

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is reportedly asking the Government for an 11 per cent salary hike for public servants, but the Mia Mottley administration is said to have countered with an increase of just two per cent, 

The union’s executive is said to have made that disclosure to members during a three-hour meeting at the NUPW’s Dalkeith, St Michael headquarters on Monday night, Barbados TODAY understands.

While union officials were tightlipped about the meeting, one member who spoke to Barbados TODAY on condition of anonymity said it was explained at the session that Government’s two per cent proposal was what remained of the five per cent salary increase given to public servants back in 2018.

NUPW general secretary Richard Green and president Kimberley Agard refused to disclose what figure had been put forward.

“We have made it clear that we are not going to negotiate in the public domain,” Green said.

Agard explained the meeting was held to share with the members, the position and the percentages the NUPW had taken to the Government on their behalf. 

However, she and Green assured that attendees were in full support of the pay proposal submitted by the island’s largest public sector union.

“What we have asked for is a reasonable increase in line with the rise in the cost of living over the years, especially drawing special reference to the rates of inflation, and we have kept our figures very close to those rates of inflation as the primary determinant in the figure that we asked for, so we are comfortable in what we are asking for and it is reasonable,” Green told Barbados TODAY.

“The members were appreciative of the effort that the NUPW is making on their behalf. We were able to outline the process and the justifications and all of the reasons for our positions and, of course, explain to them that this was all in an effort to get the best possible deal for them in light of the circumstances. 

“It was felt that because of the way the negotiations were going, it was the right time to engage our wider membership to bring them up-to-date with what has been happening and the representation we are making on their behalf,” Green added.

The general secretary said he anticipated that another meeting with the Government, the second for the year, would take place before the end of the month.

He admitted that he was disappointed with the number of members who showed up at Monday’s meeting, but suggested that the Transport Board work stoppage earlier in the day, which resulted in the closure of all public schools, might have affected the turnout.

“We expected a few more but what I can say is that maybe the circumstances surrounding the day may have played a part in not getting the numbers we would have expected,” Green said. 

“As you know, persons who have dependents in their care, especially children, would have had to make special provisions for them at home and obviously, too, after school hours they would have to be very responsible in going home to take care of them. So that, we think, is one of the main reasons why we didn’t have a very large turnout.” randybennett@barbadostoday.bb