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  • 1 year ago
The Transport and Industrial Workers Union has delivered a letter to the Minister of Public Utilities concerning wage negotiations for employees of the National Maintenance Training and Security Company.


According to TIWU, despite efforts to get a proposal from the Ministry, it has been met with no response. On Friday, workers gathered outside of the Ministry to demonstrate their frustration.


Alicia Boucher has more in this report.
Transcript
00:00A number of MTS workers, supported by the Transport and Industrial Workers Union, pounding
00:15the pavement on Friday morning during what they called a peaceful gathering opposite
00:19the Public Utilities Ministry in Sinclair.
00:26Their voices in unison, echoing discontent over their current wages, and Tiwu President
00:32Sean Roberts delivering a letter at the ministry addressed to Minister Marvin Gonzalez.
00:38Roberts says the union met with Gonzalez on April 9th to ask the ministry for a wage offer
00:44for the workers, who he tells us have been working on 2014 salaries.
00:49According to Tiwu, it is adversely affecting over 2,000 workers who are faced with the
00:54rising cost of living, apart from the impending property tax and higher electricity rates.
01:00This time the union has put forward a proposal for 25%, spanning three collective bargaining
01:06periods, split up into 10%, 10%, 5%.
01:11Roberts is adamant that any offer to MTS workers, like the one to public servants, will not
01:16cut it.
01:174% is not feasible, could never be, that is slavery.
01:23What is the lowest you're willing to settle for?
01:26Well, 10%, yeah, 10%.
01:34We're told the workers operate on a wage of $21.15 per hour, making around $1,600 fortnightly,
01:43excluding overtime.
01:44Another reason Tiwu states that 4% cannot work.
01:49That represents a figure of between 84 to 85 cents.
01:52That takes the worker now to $22 an hour.
01:57That also takes the worker to about $40 increase for the fortnight.
02:03That is upstate.
02:05Tiwu claims that state entities which are serviced through MTS owe the company an exorbitant bill.
02:11Close to $800 million, that is faxed, right?
02:15And while that is taking place, the workers are suffering.
02:18Tiwu says if a meeting isn't forthcoming with Gonzalez or a wage proposal isn't made, there
02:24will be stepped-up action.
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