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SSB Workers Still Not Paid: Christian Workers Blame It On CWU
posted (January 27, 2015)
300 employees from Social Security still haven't gotten paid their end of month salary. For the 33 years that Social Security has been established, workers always get their end of month pay on the 26th of the month - but this week, history has been made. It's caused a major inconvenience for the employees because all of their bills and other financial commitments have been scheduled around that 26th pay date.

Right now, there is a lot of finger pointing between the Management of SSB and the Christian Worker's Union. We've been following the story since last week Friday, and what both sides agree on is that the management of Social Security decided to roll out what is called a "transitional increment" to reward employees for their high level of performance. It was to replace the bonus that each employee gets in March after they're assessed by Key Performance Indicators (KPI) system.

Employees were paid a portion of that increment in the January 26 pay cheque, and when the union found out, the Union's Head Office got involved and wrote to the management of Social Security to inform them that they made a "unilateral decision" without the proper consultation with CWU, which on behalf of the employees who are registered.

The Union's position that it's members would take the increment, but they also reserved the right to collect their KPI bonuses in March. One was to replace the other, and so, the management of Social Security decided to reverse the payment on the increment, if the employees are insisting that they be paid their bonuses. That's what caused the entire administrative mix-up where the pay cheques weren't ready yesterday.

Social Security Management warned their employees that the salaries would be late, when it wrote to its employees explaining that from their perspective, it was the Union's "indecisiveness" with the increment system which was the root cause. Of course, CWU President Audrey Matura-Shepherd and other executive members would not let it stand that they are being blamed, and today, the Union held a press briefing. The president said that the management was at fault because the union sought clarification and was ignored, then, SSB management acted unilaterally without consultation, a direct contravention of the Collective Bargaining Agreement:

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"This was clear that it has never been the position of the employees of SSB nor CWU who represents their wishes, that there shouldn't be an increment system. On the contrary, the employees of SSB have been pushing for the increment system to be ready and rolled out, of course, after proper consultation. It is no fault of SSB employees, especially those below the managerial level, that such system has not been rolled out as yet. And that prematurely and unilaterally, Social Security Board and top management seem to want to be making decisions contrary to our CBA."

"What you need to understand has happen here: for the performance of managers for 2014, they were given a lump sum money upfront and for 2015, they will be getting their increment based on the PMP. The employees for 2014 have gotten nothing. But what management is saying is that we will do a transitional increment for 2015. So, the monies they are offering to the employees is not a lump sum. It's not based on the fact that we think your performance for 2014 was good, so here is a lump sum. Over a period of the whole year, you will be getting roughly between $62 to $98. That is what the increase monthly for the employees. It is an inequity and it is an injustice. And is it compounded by the fact that now, after the union, after consulting with its membership, writes the administration to let them know where we stand."

"How are the staff members now being affected? Unfortunately, because the management went ahead and prematurely pay out this transitional increment, and they now realize that they have erred. Instead of making the salaries of everyone just go through and the following pay period, deduct it. What they did, there were some salaries that have already been posted, those through First Caribbean Bank, that they could not withdraw. So they told those employees that next period they would withdraw it and then they went ahead and those who had not been fully posted, they withdrew and withheld their salaries for $62 or $98 - they withheld people salary."

"They want to make it seem as though the workers are greedy - they want two things. But the fact of the situation speak where the greed lies. The greed lies on those who have already gotten an honorarium /bonus for 2014 and are looking forward for their increment for 2015. While the employees gets nothing for 2014. They don't even say well it's a lump sum you are getting, even if it's a small amount for 2014. They say no, we are giving you what we called a transitional increment and why? Because for the rest of 2015 every month you get a $62 or 80 plus dollars, not even one hundred dollars, which is taxed. So, it is unjust. There is no greed there."

But, as you may remember, Social Security Management told us that they believed they were acting in good faith. While they're being accused by the CWU executive of acting unilaterally, the management says that they consulted with in-house CWU members before making the decision to roll out the increment. The President says that this was miscommunication because a few members cannot bind the entire union. Only a resolution does this:

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"On Friday last, we are informed by our union representative, in the headquarters, that the manager called two of them in office and basically told them 'well we acted, because we believe you the representatives had given us the okay.' I don't know where that miscommunication occurred, because SSB knows and so do our union reps know that any decision that the employees' instructions they give to the union, it goes in writing. We do not act by word of mouth, because you can always say he said, she said. The same way we wrote a letter asking what this means. If that was the decision of CWU that we agreed with a transitional increment, we would written an official letter signed by our general secretary saying we agree. SSB management will never be able to produce such a letter, because it never occurred and it never occurred because the mandate of the employees was never that we were to act in that way. That was rather disingenuous of them to put that in that letter and make it seem like that and so say that the union is indecisive. On the contrary, the union has not been indecisive. The union has been very deliberate in knowing that its role is to get a mandate from its members."

Matura-Shepherd wasn't finished there. She accused the management of acting in bad faith and using union busting tactics in dealing with this particular issue. She also claims that SSB Management has acted unilaterally, once again, when they crafted a new "whistle-blowers policy" which each employee must sign and accept. Here's how she explained both grievances that the union has:

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"I must add, that from the reports we got, from our union rep that met with SSB management on Friday, they were told that what they will do is treat union members differently than non-union members. I have said it then on the meeting on Saturday when I met with the other membership of the SSB group, that that definitely would be an act of bad faith. And while management told our representative that while they do that the intention is not to break up the union, I say that's a hypocrisy. Because it amounts to simply that. You cannot treat the non-union members differently than you do the union members, because you want to divide us. Unilaterally, they have gone on their own and created a whistle blower's policy and have been forcing our members to sign them. We say to our members publicly, it is against the CBA. The CBA clearly states that any policy or procedure that SSB management wants to change, they must informed the union one month in advance, so that we can have an input. I am told that many people have sign because they were told that you are only signing to acknowledge that you receive and seen the policy. But the letter that was attached to it is clear cut. It says "Acknowledging receipt of the code of values, ethics and professional conduct" - That the heading. But the body says "I have received a copy of the Social Security Board's code of value, ethics and professional conduct, specifying policies, practice and regulation which I agree to observe and follow during my employment with Social Security Board.""

Speaking with us this evening, SSB Chairman Doug Singh completely refuted both of Matura-Shepherd's allegations. On the issue of treating union employees different from non-union employees, Singh said that what the union is not mentioning is that this increment issue has become very polarized among the staff of Social Security. There are employees who want the increment to roll out immediately, and there are some who do not want it. The supposed different treatment is only to address that division among staffers.

On the issue of this whistleblowers' policy, Singh said that the president is spinning the narrative to suit her perception. He explained each employee has always had a confidentiality agreement which they have had to sign on to and abide by. He says that this is not to discourage whistleblowers, as Matura-Shepherd and others believes. It is to ensure that the sensitive information from members of the public who are making their social security contributions does not leak out of the company. He told us that it is his belief that information of wrongdoing will reach the media and the public whether or not the Social Security Management wants it to or not, and the confidentiality policy was not crafted to stop that.

We understand that some employees may have been paid today, and those who did not, will get their pay cheque before Friday. It will be determined by the processing time of the different banks of the employees. Strictly speaking, Singh says their cheques are technically not late, since the payday comes before the end of the month. Of course, that's zero consolation for those workers who have their commitments programmed around the 26th.

Since this dispute between Social Security's management has become contentious with the Christian Workers Union, we understand unofficially, that the Board is taking a policy to scrap the roll out of the increment system and postpone it until it is fully implemented. That means that the employees will be entitled to their KPI bonuses in March.

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