Dionne Rose, Staff ReporterTHE NATIONAL Workers Union (NWU) is at odds with some members of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers' Association (JGRA) for failure to pay over retroactive payments to gas station attendants that were promised to workers in December.
Vincent Morrison, island supervisor of the NWU, the union representing the workers, yesterday told The Gleaner that the union had last week signed off on an agreement with the JGRA for its members to pay over the retroactive payment for the period October 2003 to September 2004 to the more than 2,000 unionised gas station attendants.
He, however, disclosed that some 40 per cent of the members of the association had reneged on the agreement.
"We are not going to shut down those dealers who have implemented the agreement. We are not, however, ruling out strike action as an option for those who have not paid over," said Morrison.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE CODE
Initially, the JGRA had refused to sign the pay agreement with the NWU until Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell, implemented a code of conduct for the industry. The code of conduct, which was formulated by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC), was implemented on December 20.
The code requires government to place a limit on the margins which the multinational petrol companies can apply on the sale of fuel to service stations. The JGRA had claimed that the petrol companies could buy the gasolene from the state refinery, Petrojam, and resell it to gas stations at a higher price.
The JGRA is, however, taking seriously the threat of industrial action as Leonard Green, past president of the JGRA, said that the association would be calling an emergency meeting on Wed-nesday to discuss the matter.
"We take the threat very
seriously and we are trying to avert the strike action," said Green. He also had strong words for members who did not make good on their agreement, adding, "We as an association cannot condone or support retailers who have not (yet) paid."
