After two weeks of delays, tomorrow the city council will make 26 security workers redundant. That is after the Christian Workers Union and the City Council hammered out a three page agreement this afternoon. It's a win and a compromise for both sides. At a press briefing two hours ago Matura-Shepherd outlined the details:..
Audrey Matura Shepherd, President - CWU
"We still feel that as a result of the process 4 workers remain sort of casualty to the process. When you consider that there were 30 people who were being affected and 26 have been given better benefits, then we have to be able to explain why and there are always people who make sacrifices more than others,"
"The first good news is that we were able to get the council to retain some of the workers. So out of the 30 that would have been adversely affected, we got 5 to remain. They will remain as park wardens. We were able to persuade the council that there were 3 workers who really got ill on the job; one of them suffered a stroke, one has high blood pressure and has nose bleeding and the other one has severe arthritis. What has happen is that the council will retain them as employees for now until they appear before a medical board. Once the medical board certifies them invalid or not then they will know what their options are. If they are invalid then they will go off and get invalidity benefits and if they are not then they will just become redundant and get all the benefit all the others got, so that the other god news and good for them because they really wanted that because of their health condition."
"We also have alternative employment for some workers - this is the one they were saying they wanted most of the workers to go over to the security firm and the problem we are having with that was that people were going back for $3.50 when they were making $4.48 at the council. We were able to prevail on that point. That's one of the best points we really enjoy because all those going over will now get $4.48 per hour working with Ranger Security."
"Then we were able to get our ex gratia compassionate package for some of the workers. There were 3 workers that the council said they absolutely did not want and those 3 workers were not being recommended to go not even over to the new employer. I won't call they names, but one of the good news is that if there were anyone that had less than 5 years - they got 6 weeks more additional pay, so that that pulls them over so that they are able to then go and find another job in the interim. If they had 5 years over then they would get 4 weeks additional salary and that's good news for them."
An important note is that the CWU will continue to represent the workers even as they transition to the private firm of Ranger Security.
So there is peace, accord and goodwill between the Council and the Union where last week there was rancor and bitter divisiveness. How the Matura Shepherd and Mayor Bradley bridge the divide? That's what we asked today:..
Jules Vasquez
"How were you all able to meet in the middle, so to speak?"
Audrey Matura Shepherd, President - CWU
"Jules, I know you are not a man of faith, but believe it or not, it was divine intervention that we were able to move from the position where we were miles apart and seek common ground. If I go into the details I would make you a believer."
Jules Vasquez
"It sounds super natural as it is."
Audrey Matura Shepherd, President - CWU
"But it's true."
Next for the union is a meeting with the new contractor Ranger Security.
Email
Print