St Lucia public servants strike intensifies

A strike by public servants in St Lucia has entered a second week with the Trade Union Federation (TUF) threatening to intensify action if the Stephenson King administration fails to put a fresh offer on the table in a deepening row over pay.



Yesterday workers were forced to hastily evacuate the Government Headquarters after a bomb scare, as the St Lucia Teachers’ Union picketed the complex that houses the Office of the Prime Minister.



A bomb scare also disrupted operations at the nearby Ministry of Education.



The TUF is demanding payment of a promised 7.5 per cent salary increase but the government has insisted that it can only afford to pay 3.5 per cent up front due to the current economic downturn.



The workers have been promised the remaining 4 per cent in April next year but the union is adamant that it will settle for nothing less than 4.5 per cent.



Earlier, Prime Minister Stephenson King released a statement in which he thanked public sector workers who turned up for duty despite the ongoing industrial action.