A MEETING TO continue negotiations on a new labour contract for hourly paid employees of Windalco (formerly Alcan) had to be postponed yesterday after the National Workers Union (NWU) refused to participate.
NWU deputy island supervisor Norman DaCosta said the union took the decision following statements made by senior director of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), Dennis Morrison, on radio on Friday and Monday against the retention of a so-called Personal Income Protection (PIP) clause in their current agreement, which tags the worker's pay to the US dollar.
Mr. DaCosta said that the workers had taken "strong objection" to the comments made by Mr. Morrison and suggested it was "inappropriate" interference in the collective bargaining process.
Mr. Morrison said yesterday that he would be attending a meeting today on the issue of the Memorandum of Understanding in the industry and would explain his position on the PIP there.
Windalco is also opposing the retention of the clause in the current negotiations for a new contract.
Yesterday's meeting should have been the fifth since the Ministry intervened in the dispute over a new contract on July 24. This followed 15 months of abortive talks between the union and the company at the local level.
Meetings were also held at the Ministry on July 30 and August 7 and 8, but the parties failed to agree on a number of areas of conflict, including the retention of the PIP and travelling allowances, as well as the length of the contract.
Director of Industrial Relations at the Ministry, Gresford Smith, confirmed yesterday the meeting had to be "rescheduled" because of the NWU's decision. However, he said there was still a chance the talks could go ahead later this week.
Mr. DaCosta said the resumption of the talks would depend on the outcome of the meeting scheduled for today between the parties and Minister of Mining and Energy, Anthony Hylton. This meeting was scheduled from late last week to discuss the union's claim that the company has breached the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which covers all bauxite/alumina companies and unions.
Today's meeting with Minister Hylton will also include the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), which withdrew a 72-hour strike threat against the company last Saturday, of a health benefit issue.
Windalco is jointly owned by Swiss metal firm Glencore and the Jamaican Government and has plants at Kirkvine, Ewarton and Port Esquivel.
