Unions want urgent resolution to dispute between HEART, employees

The National Workers Union, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union, which represent workers at two national training institutions, have written to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security pressing for a speedy resolution to what has been a long-standing dispute between employees and the HEART/NSTA Trust management.

JTA representative Carolyn O’Connor told The Gleaner yesterday that the letter was delivered to the labour ministry last Thursday.

Unionised workers at the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI) and the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) mandated their unions last week to seek redress from the labour ministry, as they have been denied benefits that were due to them under a reclassification exercise.

The workers’ call for compensation under a reclassification exercise that was tied to a heads of government agreement becomes more urgent as they will be made redundant by the HEART/NSTA Trust, effective July 31, 2023.

There are heightened concerns and discontent among scores of workers at the two training institutions, as they were told in a missive from the HEART/NSTA Trust management that their redundancy payments would not take into account any reclassification exercise.

“Based on directives from our parent ministry, a reclassification exercise is not supported,” HEART stated in response to a query from workers.

Reclassification exercise

O’Connor argued that the workers have a legal, binding agreement that was set out in the 2015 and 2017 heads of agreement with the Government that speak to the reclassification exercise.

“We are contending that if HEART is giving us redundancy for HEART, that simply means that we were working for HEART, so they should be able to give us the reclassified money like the rest of the workers.”

The workers of HEART/NSTA Trust benefited from a reclassification exercise on April 1, 2020.

There was a dispute at one point as to whether NCTVET and VTDI workers remained under the management of HEART/NSTA Trust or had been transferred to the Ministry of Education and Youth.

O’Connor told The Gleaner yesterday that VTDI and NCTVET workers carry out similar roles to that of HEART/NSTA Trust employees but have been paid less than their counterparts.

“Our bone of contention now is parity because, if the rest of the workers got this reclassified amount, we should have received it; so somebody made a blunder.”

The JTA representative told The Gleaner that the managing director of HEART/NSTA Trust had reportedly made representation on behalf of the workers but could not make a breakthrough.

“She took our case and she went once again to the OPM (Office of the Prime Minister). She took a while to return to us, but the answer again was ‘no, they are not entitled to it’,” O’Connor said.

In the meantime, The Gleaner saw a copy of responses to workers from the management of HEART/NSTA Trust, which stated that employees in the Standards Unit at NCTVET will be absorbed into HEART. It indicated that others could be placed in the training institution on a case-by-case basis.

The Ministry of Education and Youth is to issue letters of employment to the remaining VTDI and NCTVET staff, The Gleaner understands.

Workers at the training agencies have also been told that the effective date for employment with the education ministry is August 2, 2023.