Union unity
Published:Thursday | July 14, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
THE INDUSTRIAL-relations landscape took on a pleasantly scenic view last week when in a rare display of unity and goodwill, powerful trade-union leaders dispensed with years of differences and, in so doing, brought to an end the protracted wage dispute with the Government.
The 12 trade unions, operating under the umbrella organisation Jamaica Confederation of Trade Union (JCTU), had signed the contentious wage agreement earlier.
However, concerns were raised over whether the leaders of some of the other prominent groups, known for stridency, would have come on-board.
These included the Nadine Molloy Young-led Jamaica Teachers Association; the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association, led by Dr Shane Alexis; the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) led by Antoinette Patterson and the Sgt Raymond Wilson-led Jamaica Police Federation.
Wilson and his executive, who represent rank and file police personnel - with the largest membership of the five major organisations that are not a part of the JCTU - had to contend with vigorous objections from some nonconformists among the membership.
The federation's executive was eventually able to convince some of the nonconformists and signed off with other groups who were acting in solidarity with that organisation. The NAJ has always been vociferous in its demands for what members believe is rightfully theirs, and the JTA has been no pushover.
This time around, Molloy-Young and Patterson must be commended for their conciliatory stance in bringing about an end to a potentially explosive issue.
Not long ago, solidarity would have been an alien concept in the trade-union movement with each organisation pulling its way and attempting to win over workers who were already represented by other unions, creating a fierce, unfriendly and antagonistic labour environment. Indeed, there was also a noticeable display of hostility shown to the NAJ under the leadership of Edith Allwood Anderson by mainstream unions. This seems to have passed.
The relationship between union leaders/workers and management was stormy at best. With calls for the unions to change the way they operate in a rapidly changing industrial environment, the scenery slowly began to change for the better 17 years ago in 1994 when the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions was established.
The attempt by the JCTU to pull some trade unions under its wings was hard work that yielded positive results.
The success of the series of memoranda of understanding, led by Dwight Nelson, then member of the JLP-affiliated Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and representing the JCTU, elicited commendations from former Minister of Finance Dr Omar Davies.
The antagonism among established trade unions began to dissipate.
The labour leaders and membership had a right to be dissatisfied, disgruntled and dejected at the treatment meted out to them by the government.
The decision of the Government to impose a wage freeze three years ago is understandable. The unforeseen recession had begun to take a great toll on government revenue.
Contemptuous attitude
What was not acceptable was the contemptuous attitude of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, evident in his contemptuous "we just don't have it" stance.
The attitude of Finance Minister Audley Shaw was just as disdainful. The Golding administration had treated the seven per cent salary increase due to the workers as if it were not the product of a duly signed contract involving the unions and the Government.
It goes without saying that the workers, feeling the dreadful effects of the global financial meltdown were made the sacrificial lamb by the Government.
Unlike the more tumultuous past, when trenchant union leaders were aligned to, and took on the divisive and tribal nature of political parties, the workers did not resort to protest such as that of 1986, a signal of goodwill towards Government and country.
If the words of Golding and his ministers can be taken seriously, the administration appears to be happy with the approach of the trade unions.
It is now up to the Government not to reverse its decision to start paying the workers in September 2011, with some of the retroactive amount in December and the remainder over a two-year period starting June 2012.
Although that arrangement would be hardly satisfactory to the public-sector workers, they have accepted the arrangement in a show of tremendous goodwill.