NUPW claims non-unionised workers trying to tarnish union’s name

By Emmanuel Joseph The island’s largest public sector trade union is claiming there have been increasing attempts by workers it does not represent to undermine its efforts. General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Richard Greene lamented the frequency at which non-unionised public servants were trying to “tarnish” the union’s name and “running to the media” with complaints. “The union members aren’t the ones that complain [to the media] because the union members are the ones who bring their grievances to the union…. They are members of the union so they have an entitlement to get representation from the union. But what you are increasingly finding is the non-unionised workers are the ones who are complaining about the union not resolving matters for them,” Greene told Barbados TODAY. “We resolve matters primarily for our members who bring their matters to us, but . . . persons who are members would benefit and persons who are non-members would also benefit…. Like if we made representation for appointments throughout a particular department…and if collectively we make representation for a department, persons who are not members also benefit.” He made the comments after an employee of the Environmental Health Department reached out to Barbados TODAY accusing the NUPW of not assisting staff in resolving a series of grievances, including delays in appointments, not being paid for qualifications and being overworked at various understaffed polyclinics. “The National Union of Public Workers also refuses to assist staff in their fight although it has been communicated numerous times to them that the Environmental Health Department is in a dismal state,” the worker, who did not want his name published, complained. “We were fighting these issues from 2018 when the then Minister of Health and Wellness [Lt Col Jeffrey] Bostic took up the mantle. Staff wanted to declare a dispute with government and the union said ‘no’. “All of these years have elapsed and staff are still in the same position, not even seeing a small glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel in these extremely hard economic times which consist of high inflation due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” he added. The public officer said that at one point they were only expected to work one district, but now staff are expected to work two or three. The worker said staff morale was at an all-time low and people were also “overly” frustrated because while they wanted to build homes, purchase land or buy new vehicles, they could not “because the Government refuses to pay them for their qualifications”. Greene acknowledged in his interview with Barbados TODAY that there were several concerns in that department. “I know one of the most burning things is the appointment of people. While the last 2020 Public Service (Appointments) Act had incorporated appointments for a number of officers, there were still outstanding a number of officers who still needed to submit the form to the President for the appointment,” he said. “So, we have been continuing to make representation for the Environmental Health Officers. But part of the problem, too, was that there was a hold on appointments and promotions in that department about 12 years ago, which is having an extended impact on that department. There was a hold on appointments and promotions because of a case brought in court by officers who were superseded. So until that matter was resolved in court, there was a hold on appointments and promotions, so that cascaded and snowballed into some of the problems officers would have experienced.” The NUPW boss pointed out that while his organisation has been successful in securing appointments for a number of public officers in that department over the years, “there were some who have fallen through the cracks” for varying reasons. He did not elaborate. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb]]>