Security Service Employees Protest Late Payment

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Business News

Monday, 09 July 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St John's - The employees of Multi-Purpose Security Service are at their wits end with management due to continued late payments, and with what seems to be no prospect of improvement in sight.

Under condition of anonymity, employees told Caribarena.com that the late payments go back as far as 2010 with management claiming that funds are not readily forthcoming from one of the firm’s main clients – government.

The workers’ representative, the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union (ABFTU) says it has been on the backs of management officials constantly to have the matter sorted out but has had little success.

General Secretary of the union Stafford Joseph said talks continue to be had with the security service’s owner and manager Ms. Annetta Challenger on issues regarding overtime and holiday pay, among others.

Joseph said union dues for the security officers are deducted every month but are not always paid over on time.

“A number of issues have been happening over a period of time. A number of workers are not being paid in a timely manner. Some people are owed for last year and years previous. Some are not getting their over-time pay. All those matters we are working on,” Joseph said.

One employee complained of working seven days a week and having not been paid for the past three weeks. It was also noted that wages, which are due at least twice monthly, are sometimes paid only once.

Caribarena.com spoke with Ms. Challenger, who refuted claims of 7-day workweeks and although she acknowledged that payments are sometimes late, she maintained that this is not a frequent occurrence.

“Everybody knows of the situation. I don't understand some people. It seems like they have their heads buried in the sand,”

Challenger said. “The money is late and they would go and complain but when it does come they don't say anything.”

Challenger has contended that delinquency by the government in honoring its debts is what is responsible for the situation but the Treasury, as well as government agencies like Public Works, has denied having any outstanding monies for the security service.

Some employees, who were supposed to have been paid last weekend, were reportedly told that their wages would be late because of an administrative error.

“Last year was really a bad year. My payment on the rent where I live is a couple months behind. I am still to be paid for three months last year. We are supposed to be paid every fortnight but sometimes we get paid once a month with the same fortnightly salary and they don't even balance,” said one employee.

The matter remains before the Labour Department and an investigation is said to be underway. Stafford Joseph says the department is dragging its feet and is not exploring the avenues available to it in rectifying the situation.

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“We can’t go further without the reports form the Labour Department and the Labour Commissioner has to issue a report on the matter. The union’s hands are tied and the workers are suffering because of that,” Joseph said.

He added that the majority of the workers are suffering since most of them are migrant workers who are finding it difficult to survive.

Attempts to reach Labour Commissioner Hesketh Williams for a comment on the matter were unsuccessful.

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