UWI workers take industrial action over non-payment of salaries despite promise

By Ryan Gilkes

University of the West Indies (UWI) staff at Cave Hill campus on Wednesday made good on their threat to go on strike, insisting they would remain off the job until they saw promised monies in their bank accounts.

The industrial action involved over 200 employees in the administration, maintenance, and security departments supported by Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) General Secretary Toni Moore and other union executives.

The union had given the workers the nod to take the action on Wednesday, following a brief work stoppage on Tuesday, as they agitated for promised salary increases.

A letter from the Ministry of Education, dated Tuesday, indicated that payment for the workers had been processed. This included a lump sum payment of $1 500 for each worker for the period from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023, and a three per cent increase from August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024. 

But at day’s end, the money had not yet reached the workers’ accounts. 

Moore told reporters the workers’ patience was dwindling, highlighting the prolonged discussions over the past nine months without any financial resolution.

“The time for talk was the last nine months; the money needs to hit the bank,” she said. “It was only when the Ministry of Education asked last month that the university then maybe a week after that – about six days later to be precise, – wrote back to the ministry indicating the quantum.”

Moore also disclosed that the university had recently assured the BWU of an imminent fund release following a Ministry of Finance’s commitment. However, she pointed to uncertainty around the timing of these payments.

“They sought to give the Barbados Workers’ Union and our members the commitment that money was coming so it was ok to hold on the action… [but] the question is when and timeliness. Everybody knows time is money,” the BWU boss said. “Having endured and having received commitments time and time again, the workers have determined that they are not of the mind and of the persuasion to go back into work. [Not] until the university has made good on its word and moved beyond words to demonstration and money lands on bank accounts. So until then, the workers are outside.”

Throughout the day, Moore and other supporters led the striking workers in campus marches, echoing chants, ‘No retreat, No surrender’ and ‘No money, no work’. They received encouragement from several students who recently returned to the campus.

BWU spokesman Cheyne Jones told Barbados TODAY that the workers, frustrated by repeated delays over the last 10 months, doubted the UWI’s promise of payment. He criticised the university for attempting to avoid responsibility and highlighted the administrative bottleneck that delayed the government’s awareness of the required payment amount until December.

“Central government did not know the actual amount needed until December,” Jones said. “So it was a back and forth where one person is saying it’s at you and the other person saying it’s at you. So it was a situation while all this was going on, the workers were not being paid. So whatever administrative issues they had to clean up to ensure this happens, we need it to happen,” he said.

“As you realised yesterday, after we had the meeting and we announced that there would be industrial action, all of a sudden, the amount was sent off to the ministry in charge. All of a sudden now, the money can be paid. Unfortunately, it comes to this where we take the last resort of industrial action, but we are hopeful.”

In a brief statement issued late Wednesday, the UWI denied claims by the union that it failed to communicate the necessary information before the end of last year, to facilitate the release of funds to pay outstanding salary increases to staff.

“The Campus deems this unfortunate in light of the consistent sharing of documented evidence of ongoing communication between itself and the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training on this matter since March 2023, it said. “The Campus gives an assurance that it holds its adherence to cordial industrial relations in the highest regard and strives to maintain such to the utmost of its ability.” (RG)