Transport and Industrial Workers' Union president Roland Sutherland and a large group of protesting National Maintenance Training and Security Company (MTS) workers failed to get a meeting with Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Stephanie Lewis yesterday.
Sutherland led the disgruntled workers in an attempt to have an impromptu meeting with the COP to discuss the delay in starting negotiations for a new collective agreement.
He said the workers were among the lowest paid in the country and were demanding increased wages, adding they were still receiving 2011 salaries.
Chanting “no money, no work,” the workers pounded the St Vincent Street pavement for hours seeking an audience from the CPO but to no avail.
Sutherland said the union had four meetings with the company, which provides maintenance and security services at government schools, hospitals and other offices across the country, but it did not make any offer to the union.
“It is negotiations in bad faith,” he added.
He said based on information at his disposal “the CPO is the keep back” but said the workers were not going to sit back and allow that situation to prevail.
Yesterday’s protest, Sutherland said, was to determine the reason or reasons for the delay in negotiations for a new collective agreement. He said the workers may have to visit the office of the Minister of Finance and the Economy to demand answers.
“We may have to go to him to get some assistance to have this matter expedited. It was unfortunate for workers to resort to this kind of action to get their money,” he added.