FALMOUTH, Trelawny:
AFTER COMMENCING strike actions on December 22, rendering the world-renowned Rafting on the Martha Brae attraction out of commission for several days at the beginning of the 2005-06 winter tourist season, the workers and their union, the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), reached an agreement with the management of Martha Brae Rafters Village, at a meeting held on Tuesday in Montego Bay to avert resumption of the actions.
Work resumed on January 5, but the workers have nevertheless threatened to resume strike actions, if their demands were not met.
CHIEF REQUESTS
According to Aston Johnson of the UAWU, approximately 95 per cent of the workers' requests were met, while outstanding ones will be met over time. Johnny Gourzong, a member of the management team at the rafters village, agreed that many of the requests by the workers were already met, and that regular activities at the facility would resume without any animosity.
Chief among the workers' requests were the improvement of the facilities, including the landing crane, and the trailer that takes the rafts back to starting point, and the cleaning of the river. They said the hardship of procuring and transporting the bamboo, and making the rafts was squarely on their shoulders. They wanted an input from management.
