Email

Print

Now, the agreement says that the workers should receive their uniforms every 18 months but that period expired last year December and now the workers say they want compensation for all those months without the uniforms. Today when we went to the Social Security office in the city, the employees had nothing to say but President of the Christian Workers Union Audrey Matura Shepherd spoke on their behalf. She says they are all entitled to compensation.

Audrey Matura Shephard, President, CWU
"What happened, they took their lunch time and for half hour in protest and disapproval of management's decision not to pay them their clothing allowance. They united and came out together to show management that they are not satisfied with their decision. Now don't think that they didn't just decide to get up and say we are not satisfied. There has been a process and there have been attempts and discussion and negotiation to get management to come around to accepting that let the present CBA, the protocols and procedures already established if you do not give the employees their uniform every 18 months as you should, then you need to give them a clothing allowance. This is an agreement. It's not like they are fighting for something new. This is already a right and entitlement that they have. It is something that they expect to be implemented. Unfortunately, for whatever reason management has been playing hard ball and they decided that they would not. You have to put that in context of the fact that also they are not only thinking about their uniforms, they are also thinking about what has been the environment in which they been negotiating the different issues."

"They are entitled to $450 annually when they don't get uniform. If for the entire 12 months you didn't get your uniform, you get the $450. If it's only for half of the 12 months, then it's only half of that. So the prorate it. That's how it works and if it's beyond the 12 months, then they get whatever amount of monies. But it's every 18 months that they are entitled to get new uniforms. The policy of the institution is that you must go to work in uniform."

Now if the workers had an issue with the current uniform and were unhappy for 11 months, why just now are they protesting and voicing their discontent? Is it just an act to force the finalization of the Collective Bargaining Agreement since elections are next month? Here is what Shepherd had to say about that.

Audrey Matura Shephard, President, CWU
"There is a lot of internal things that are happening and the staff has remained quiet for a long while, but now they are acting out - they are speaking out. They are mandating the union to do certain things and to say certain things on their behalf and that's their right. They are operating within their rights as workers and within the law to do what they do. For example today's protest is not illegal. Its heir lunch time. You can do anything you want during your lunch time."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Nothing with elections coming up?"

Audrey Matura Shephard, President, CWU
"Well remember we don't have any control as to when elections are called. All these CBA's that we are negotiating were already on the table before elections were called. So there is more to anything elections are called to damage us rather than us having to damage election."