By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE MINISTRY of Labour might be forced to seek the intervention of the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) in its bid to get the Western Cement Company Limited, in St. Elizabeth, to meet its obligation to the 60 workers it laid off eight months ago.
Martin Nembhard, the Conciliatory Officer with the Industrial Relations arm of the Labour Ministry, told The Gleaner that all efforts to get the company to honour its financial obligations to the workers have failed. As a consequence, he said the Ministry was now giving serious consideration to seeking the intervention of the IDT.
The workers and their union, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), are also contending that since the limestone producing entity closed its doors in June of last year, the employees have not been able to get either their money-in-lieu of notice or their redundancy payments.
In noting that all attempts to get the parties together for a meeting have failed, Mr. Nembhard further stated that, "there is a distinct possibility that we might have to refer the matter to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal. I am now holding consultations with my superiors at the Ministry, to determine the way forward."
In addition to the concerns about notice and redundancy payment, the BITU, which is claiming that it has "repeatedly made itself available for meetings with the management of the Western Cement Company to discuss the welfare of the workers," is also accusing the company of not turning over the workers' statutory deductions to government.
