Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

Newly-elected president of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, says his union will be aggressively lobbying for the rights of security guards as it relates to sick, vacation and maternity leave.

Mr. Morrison, who secured the presidency with 313 votes ahead of his contender Danny Robert '119', said the situation of security guards would be put on the front burner by his administration.

Currently, security guards are treated as contract workers and have been told by some employers that they are not entitled to these benefits. But under the amended Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act (LRIDA), a worker is defined as "an individual who has entered into, or works, or normally works (or where the employment has ceased, worked) under a contract, however described, in circumstances where that individual works under the direction, supervision and control of the employer regarding hours of work, management of discipline and such other conditions as are similar to those which apply to an employee".

The Holiday with Pay Act and the Holiday with Pay Order also state that any worker of any category is entitled to sick and vacation leave and any gratuity due to them.

Mr. Morrison said that training and the education of delegates would also be paramount under his watch. He said as president, he would be consulting with social partners on a number of national issues.

Leadership race

Meanwhile, both Mr. Morrison and Mr. Roberts underscored that the leadership race has not divided the union and that they would be working together.

"One of the hallmarks of the NWU over the years is its democracy. Those who won or lost will continue the work. The election does not have anything to do with unity," said Mr. Morrison.

Mr. Roberts maintained that the leadership race had allowed the delegates to place four issues on the table for debate. These, he said, included the separation of powers, a need for succession planning, defining the role of the presidency and the issue of honour and integrity.

"These issues should be kept on the table and be debated. These are not election gimmickry," said Mr. Roberts. "The race for those issues has no finish line."

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com.