Trade union hopes for positive outcome from negotiations with NWC management

The National Workers’ Union (NWU) says it's hoping to wrap up negotiations when it meets with the management of the National Water Commission (NWC) at the labour ministry this afternoon.

Two weeks ago, NWC workers stayed off the job to protest the pace of negotiation in relation to their wage and fringe benefits claims.

NWU President Granville Valentine says unions are hoping the management will satisfy two main requests by the workers.

He says these are the payment of a lunch subsidiary and overtime pay which supervisors are due.

Valentine says negotiations have been going well so far adding that the management has shown understanding of the workers’ complaints.

However, he refuses to say whether the workers will strike if their requests are not met after today’s negotiations with the NWC’s management.

The meeting with NWC’s management, scheduled for two o'clock this afternoon, will be attended by the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the Union of Private and Public Employees which also represents the NWC workers.