JACKSON
THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it was willing to facilitate public sector groups seeking to conduct wage negotiations outside of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU).
The JCTU is currently negotiating with the Government for a second Public Sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government.
Fitz Jackson, State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, was responding to Monday's decision by the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) to withdraw its membership from the JCTU.
"Participation in the confederation is by choice of each of the trade union groupings throughout the country," Mr. Jackson noted. "We have never required any union or group to be a part of the confederation for the purpose of the bargaining process," he added.
The Junior Finance Minister said that, while he had not yet been notified by the NAJ about its decision to unilaterally negotiate on its members' behalf, the Government was willing to facilitate them.
WE STAND READY
"Should it be the case that they wish to negotiate on their own behalf, well we stand ready to do that and the normal process would then trip in with regard to their claim," he said.
The NAJ has accused the JCTU of negotiating for its members without prior consultation with the association in the process.
Meanwhile, the JCTU board is to meet this morning to make a counter offer after it rejected the Government's wage offer of a 20 per cent increase over two years.
