Samuda says industrial action by NWC workers 'not sanctioned'

Minister with responsibility for water, Matthew Samuda, is urging striking members of the maintenance department at the National Water Commission (NWC) to "work through the process" to have their grouses addressed.

Samuda on Monday stated that he was aware that a small number of employees had withdrawn their services, but stressed "this is not sanctioned industrial action".

"The action being taken now is not in good order. It does breach the employment rules related to said employees and we hope good sense will prevail in the shortest possible time," he said.

Samuda said based on discussions with union representatives, he understands the striking NWC workers are upset about the band they have been placed in following the reclassification exercise.

He noted that while the reclassification exercise might not be perfect, it has seen the wage bill at the NWC increase by over $400 million monthly.

"So I don't want the impression in the public to be that we are not working with our employees. In fact, we are working very hard to ensure that there is indeed industrial harmony. This is an unfortunate incident and we encourage those involved to work through the process, as a process exists and the process is working and was agreed on by all stakeholders," Samuda said.

Samuda is also seeking to assure that the industrial action has not affected the water quality from the NWC as the maintenance department is not responsible for that aspect of production.

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