THE EDITOR, Sir:I WRITE to appeal to the intellect of the union organisers of the United Union of Jamaica (UUJ) associated with the labour dispute at the Ausjam gold mine in Kraal, Clarendon.
The disagreement on salary scales raises concerns about the precedent that such drastic demands on the part of the union may have on potential foreign investors to the country. Mr. Paul Sailah, the Australian investor behind the Ausjam gold mine, has clearly not only committed to the gold mine project which he is now being forced to rethink but has also given thought to many of the other challenges facing the country, and is prepared to assist the nation by creating foreign exchange earning investments while also helping to alleviate high unemployment rates.
I applaud him on his plan for the scrap metal recycling plant and the recycled oil project. These projects do not only have implications for Jamaicans who will be directly employed but for the average man in the street who may be able to sell scrap metal or used oil. The latter may give rise to more localised small businesses and broad scale employment opportunities for unskilled workers.
As the Director of Human Resources in a unionised company of 400 employees in New York, I can say that the goal is never to break the company (employer) nor the union and its members (labour) but how to collaboratively arrive at the best plan for both parties. The details outlined in The Sunday Gleaner of December 7, does not suggest collaboration but an all or nothing posture. I cannot believe that the union would be seeking parity in workers' salaries with such well established organisations such as the Cement Company. The fact of the matter is that a start-up operation requires more capital to keep it going.
I would therefore ask that the union revisit this issue sooner than later and settle the outstanding issues by looking at creative solutions such as pegging salary rates to gold rates and/or the complexity of the mining operation to mine the gold. I, therefore, urge the union and Mr. Paul Sailah to get back to the negotiating table and come up with creative plans to get the project back on stream and to ensure that future plans for the scrap metal and used oil plants don't get scrapped.
I would also urge the media to be careful about the messages being relayed internationally since this could hurt the country in the long run.
I am, etc.,
WAYNE WEBB
wawewe@yahoo.com
3042 Wickham Avenue
Bronx, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
