Irresponsible union leaders

Glenn Tucker, Contributor

Recently, Vincent Morrison of the National Workers' Union (NWU) stated that the Government's last payment to nurses was political. Mr Morrison, who is also a member of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP), promised a nationwide strike of public-sector workers if all of them did not receive what was due to them immediately. Now that is political!!

His party Comrade and NWU colleague, Granville Valentine, did his part recently by using the National Water Commission workers to inconvenience us and disrupt production.

As I watch these workers ranting and raving on television each night, demanding more of everything immediately, I cannot but be amazed that these are the same persons who happily bounced from one wage freeze to another under the previous administration when there was no recession and we were getting maximum earnings from bauxite, tourism and remittances.

This Government assumed power after many years of unsound, unscrupulous and unregulated financial policies came home to roost with a trillion-dollar debt, a manufacturing sector that was ailing, a financial sector barely recovering and the combined crippling effects of crime and corruption.

Nothing to eat

Add to that the effects of the worst global recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Some 80,000 of this country's workers lost their jobs and some have to endure the additional emotional stress of seeing their homes being advertised in the newspapers for auction. Many literally have nothing to eat. In spite of the reduced earnings, the Government has abolished certain fees in the education system and made health care available free of cost to the entire country. In 2008, 118,000 persons were added to PATH.

The frequency with which these union leaders have missed scheduled meetings, objecting to the 'wording' of statements or interpreted certain comments as 'disrespectful' only serves to confirm that their main interest is not workers' welfares but the pursuit of other agendas.

Elsewhere in the civilised world, workers and their unions are making dramatic wage and benefit concessions in response to the recession. There are substantial cuts in base salaries, mandatory unpaid vacations and shortened workweeks. Not so in Jamaica! Egged on by irresponsible unions and power-hungry politicians, the country is subjected to regular, vulgar public screaming for more pay, better conditions, reclassification and upgradings. And everybody wants these things immediately.

The weak, wimpish response of Govern-ment to these selfish and inconsiderate groups by begging for meetings has only served to embolden them and make them more disrespectful.

Remarkable adaptivity

The recession has seen a remarkable adaptability by workforces all over the world. There is no such sense of realism attached to these disputes as our workers show no regard whatsoever for the economic realities the country is facing. These people are not burdened with a conscience. Our present weather problems will cost us billions of dollars that we do not have. But Mr Valentine could not care less. He is promising '... strike after strike after strike' if the Government fails to make blood out of stone to 'pay everybody'.

If money is owed to them, they should be paid - as soon as it is available, not before. Any reserves that become available at this time should be used to repair the infrastructure, stimulate the economy, create the conditions for increased employment and ease the difficulties of our brothers and sisters who - unlike this fortunate lot - have no jobs and are hurting. We must support those at risk of losing their homes. We must create the conditions for a strong and sustained economic recovery.

We are emerging out of a long, great recession. We should not allow cheap popularity to mire us in another depression. Jamaica is enduring a summer of discontent. And it has nothing to do with the weather.

Glenn Tucker is an educator and sociologist and can be reached at glenntucker8@hotmail.com. Feedback may also be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.