Despite the failure of the Government Negotiating Team (GNT), to deliver on its promise to return to the bargaining table with a revised salary proposal, on Monday 14th October, the negotiating team of the Grenada Public Workers’ Union (GPWU), and the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers’ Union (GTAWU), offered a new, revised proposal to the GNT, scaling back on its original proposal for salary increases for the period 2020 to 2022, on behalf of its members.
The Unions jointly representing public sector workers across the tri-island state, reiterates our position of October 8th, 2019, our last meeting with the GNT, where we clearly stated that we are ready, willing, and able to continue negotiations for the period inclusive of 2020 to 2022 in good faith. We seek to responsibly dialogue with the GNT to obtain mutual gains for our membership, the Government of Grenada and the entire country.
While a revised, improved proposal from the unions was based on the GNT’s documented commitment to do so, despite that failure, in the spirit of good-faith negotiations, the unions took action to move the process of the negotiations forward by making a responsible compromise.
The unions have therefore, revised its original proposals of 7%, 8% and 8%, for 2020 to 2022 respectively, to reflect an improved proposal for the three year period as follows: 2020 -6.5%, 2021- 7.5% and 2022- 8%, and have proposed a meeting date of Tuesday October 22nd, 2019, for consideration by the GNT.
The Unions note with interest, the unilateral declaration made by Minister Oliver Joseph, on Tuesday, 8th October, 2019, that negotiations with the unions have deadlocked. We agreed to no such position and as such remind the GNT that any agreement of any sort must be decided by both parties. We note as well, that this declaration was made after only the third engagement of the unions and the GNT, the first of which was declared as more of a familiarisation session.
We again strongly denounce this autocratic approach to the Collective Bargaining process, and wish to remind Minister Joseph and the GNT, that as expressed by the former Chairperson Mrs. Beryl Isaac, at the first meeting; negotiations are conducted privately at the bargaining table between both parties, in the interest of productive and cordial engagements and not in the public domain.
Our unions’ regard as paramount, a fair and just process which secures the interest of all our members, while paying importance to supporting the social and economic development of our country. We urge that further negotiations are conducted on the principles of trust, mutual respect and constructive dialogue, to resolve our differences.
We therefore urge all members across the wider public service and every Grenadian citizen, to stand firm with the unions for this just cause.
(The above was submitted by the Grenada Public Workers’ Union and the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers’ Union)