| Usually Social Security's 300 employees get paid on the 26th of the month - which will be on Monday. But, that payday may be pushed back by a few days this month - and the pay cheques may be a little lighter than they were before.
That's because today Social Security's accounting Department recalled the pay disbursements, which were already headed for their employee's accounts. Those pay cheques had originally been made out to include what's called a "transitional increment". That's money, which was agreed to, in the last collective bargaining agreement. It was to be linked to a "performance management system" which, as it turns out, was not brought on line.
But, management still went ahead with what it thought was a goodwill gesture to grant the increments for the end of January payday. Goodwill because the increment should be based on an appraisal - but since nothing was in place to make the appraisal - management just went ahead and gave everyone an assessment of "A". Today, CEO Richard Flowers told us that Union representatives agreed to this in December. But then yesterday evening, everything changed when the Christian Workers Union head office wrote to SSB basically saying the workers will take the increment, sure, but they also have every right to get their regular bonus in March.
And that's where Social Security Management slammed the whole operation into reverse. The transitional increment was designed to replace that bonus - since, in the view of management, a salary increase is better for morale than a one-time payment. But, the two of them together? CEO Flowers told us that would be irresponsible to the workers contributing to the Social Security Fund.
But today, Audrey Matura Shepherd - the president of the CWU told us that the fault lies with management which acted unilaterally and prematurely:..
Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"The CWU is not being indecisive. Rather, I think that SSB is acting in bad faith. Our CBA clearly states that article 24D, both parties commit to further consideration of an increment system, tied to the key performance indicators - what we called the KPI. An assessation of the payment of the performance bonus, once the incremental system is implemented. It is not implemented yet. What happen last year the 24th December, SSB sent a letter basically suggesting that they would go ahead and implement an incremental system and they call it a transitional increment. We wrote them back and sought clarification because they cannot unilaterally make that. Our CBA makes it clear that we have agree. But, they never answered that letter. So, our members kept saying well we want to know what is our position and I said, as I say to all mu units of the union, we don't impose at the executive level our will on the people. We have to consult and so we started consultations with different branches of SSB to hear what are their concerns as to the bonus that they would have gotten under the KPI, the fact that the performance project program has not been implemented yet, so you can't really implement that and this transitional increment."
"We are still getting direction from our union members. What we did, we sent them a letter on the 22nd January. We sent the management of SSB a letter, saying, you can't unilaterally make a decision. But if you are just giving a gift, in terms of an increment to the staff, then fine. But, you can't say that then it later means that you are binding us to something that we did not agree to. I saw the letter that they sent you all. Unfortunately, the media has the letter and we don't have the letter. They didn't have the courtesy to copy it to us. It is rather disingenuous of SSB to say that we held a meeting with the Belize City Branch and based on that we made a decision. A decision has not been made and I can give you the copy of the letter where clearly, we are making that mount to them, that they cannot make a decision and we are still consulting, then we can meet and make a joint decision as the CBA requires. It's simply that. Their disingenuity, I can't explain why they would go that route."
Matura-Shepherd will be meeting with Social Security employees from different branches of over the weekend to discuss the developments. It's significant for workers because while, technically, their pay is not due until the end of the month - the 26th is payday at Social Security - and workers have their commitments, banking and otherwise, scheduled around that. And, as any worker knows, the payday after Christmas is the one that's most eagerly anticipated.
Flowers told us employees are working overtime to try and make sure their pay - less the "transitional increment" is in workers' bank accounts by Monday - but he could not make any promises.
And while all that administrative mumbo jumbo takes the foreground - you want to know what this is really about? Well in December, all 30 Social Security managers got a fat bonus - while employees got nothing - which is fair enough because their bonus usually comes in March. But, the managers were the first to get the so-called goodwill gesture when they also all got an assessment grade of "A." And an "A" for the managers is worth six thousand dollars each! Except for the CEO - we're told he got eleven thousand. Which is what may have put him in the mood to go ahead and give the employees that "A" grade transitional increment - which has now been rescinded.
We'll keep following the story to see if the workers get paid on the 26trh as usual.
|
