CTUSAB ‘making headway’ in non-salary part of 2023 pay deal

The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Association of Barbados (CTUSAB) is reporting significant progress in discussions with the Human Resources Directorate of the Ministry of the Public Service on non-salary items, which formed part of the public service pay negotiations for 2022 to 2025.

General Secretary Dennis De Peiza said on Wednesday an understanding has been reached which will see the creation of 20 master teachers and 10 specialist nurses in the public service from next month.

He said in a statement: “The assurance was given by the Directorate that the rollout of the regrading and job evaluation exercise will commence in June 2024. The outstanding issues for discussion are the public holiday allowances to be paid to police, prison, fire officers and nurses, the development of a compassionate leave policy for public officers and study leave for nurses pursuing studies at the Barbados Community College.  

“In its initial proposals submitted to the government for consideration in the public sector wages and salary negotiations 2022-2025, CTUSAB proposed the government consider a fractional payment toward an insurance premium to enable group coverage for Personal Accident Insurance for its public officers. The Congress also proposed that the government consider the payment of a percentage of an insurance premium for Public Officers for group coverage of Home and Motor Insurance.”

De Peiza revealed that CTUSAB has since revised its proposal to the Ministry of the Public Service, and is now recommending that the government consider payment of a percentage of the insurance premium to provide group coverage for personal accidents to members of the protective services – police, prison and fire officers, nurses and health care workers – in the first instance.

“The Congress in its submission contends that the nature of the jobs of these categories of workers comes with inherent risks, hazards and vulnerabilities and that this initiative provides for a reasonable expectation for partnership in this arrangement. [We] strongly believe that the State’s contribution to this Group Personal Accident Plan will satisfy its role in the social contract.

“Government’s contribution to personal accident insurance coverage to this category of workers would be a historic achievement [and we] therefore acknowledge and support the comments [of] Dr Sonia Browne MP, former Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, who, in her Parliamentary address of  February 20, 2024, on the subject of the brain drain of nurses, called for health insurance as an incentive to be granted to nurses,” the CTUSAB general secretary said. 

In March last year, the government and trade unions reached a deal that saw public sector workers getting a one-off payment of $1 500, a six per cent salary increase over two years and a 16 per cent hike in allowances up to 2025. The agreement also included a regrading and job evaluation exercise across the public service, a committee set up to address employee grievances, and a series of non-salaried items including the creation of the master teacher and specialist nurse posts. (RG)