If you went to any of the offices of the Social Security Board country wide today, you might have noticed that not all the employees were wearing their uniforms. That's because they were making a statement to management that they are in protest of how the negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement has been going between their union and the management of SSB.
The Christian Workers Union, which is their bargaining agent, say that there are 2 very important points in the negotiations for which there is an impasse. The first relates to vacation grants, and the reduction in the amount of vacation days that employees are to be entitled to.
The management wants to eliminate vacation grants for new hires in the future, and they want to reduce the number of vacation days. This proposed change doesn't affect the current employees, who will continue to get their vacation benefits, but the union is sees that as union busting.
The quiet protest almost caused employees to be sent home with a half of their day pay cut, but the management and the union managed to defuse the situation.
This morning, we found CWU President Dale Trujeque at the Belize City Branch, interceding on behalf of his members who supported the protest, and he told us why these 2 points in the CBA negotiations are cause for such an action. Here's what he had to say:
Dale Trujeque, President - CWU
"For a second week the members have decided they would wear their protest t-shirts again, because while it is managements' view that we may be approaching an agreement, our view is that we are at an impasse. I had said in an earlier show that there has been agreements on several points already, but the key points, the sticking points have to do with the money issues and for members in any of these environments, the most important thing are the things that relate to money and so we are supposed to have a meeting coming up next week and hopefully management's position will change in respect to the proposed reduction in vacation leave and the elimination of the vacation grant, which are significant sums of money and I'll repeat it and I know management doesn't like this, but I will repeat it. Don't tell me of wont affect my members who are employed here right now, it will affect the newcomer. That I stand by it is union busting. It will prevent us from maintaining a membership from levels where we have it currently. Nobody will want to join us again."
"So today unlike last week management has become stricter. Today they decided they would ask or members to leave who are wearing these shirts, they need to go home and change and I know they look at that as giving the staff a lawful instruction and I understand that is what the handbook says that management can do if you don't show up in your uniform and our view is to tell them to stay. Because there was another option for us to do a go slow which affects productivity. We did not want to do anything that would affect the productivity at staff and the work for SSB. We felt the easiest way to do it was to wear the t-shirts. Nobody gets hurt, their work gets done. But if wearing the t-shirts is an issue, then let us talk rather than you push us to implement measures that will affect the productivity."
"I came over because members were texting me and telling me they were telling them that they need to go and so I came over and I just had a meeting with the branch manager and she was really kind to receive me, because she could have refused to see me and that the position people can take. She was kind to see me, that Miss Dakers and she explained their position and I explained our and she reminded me that they are the employer and I respect that fully."
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