Last night we told you about how a workers of the First Caribbean International Bank went on strike and picketed the bank because the negotiation over their exit packages has stalled. Well, they didn't ease up today and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for the midday lunch hour, they staged a second round of protests.
It should have caused a number of difficulties for the other non-unionized workers and the management staff who tried to hold over and carry on operations in their absence. Today was the end of their financial year and informed observers told us that the contract staff likely struggled to get all the required transactions done.
Well, the news tonight is that on Monday, the protest will continue because the corporate managers have indicated that they will not make the 8 a.m. meeting with the Labour Commissioner, who had been called in to mediate once again. We understand that those managers explain their intended absence as a result of a change of circumstances and short notice.
So, what would they have discussed in that meeting if it were to happen? The Chief Union Rep. on the FCIB staff explained it to us yesterday:
Derrick Perrera, Chief Union Rep. FCIB Staff
"Basically we are asking for 4 things which is increase in salary; we are asking for severance; we are asking for notice pay and we are looking for some debt forgiveness. So those are basically the 4 aspects of what we are trying to negotiate."
Reporter
"Has the bank been unwilling to grant these or have the figures that they been offering just not been in line with what you would have hoped?"
Derrick Perrera, Chief Union Rep. FCIB Staff
"The bank has made proposals on 3 of the 4 issues that we have and what they have proposed is not basically what the employees think, that all the hard work that they have put in is worth."
Perera told us today that they will not know the effect that their absence has had on the bank until when they report back to work.
We'll keep following the story.
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