Government To Address Port Issues

Details

Economy

Friday, 20 July 2012 02:30

By Everton Barnes

Antigua St. John’s - The much anticipated statement detailing the government’s position regarding the Antigua Port Authority is expected to be made public on Friday.

That’s when the minister responsible for the port, Trevor Walker, will convene a meeting with representatives of trade unions and other stakeholders. Last month, Walker met with representatives of the various groups including the two trade unions the Antigua Trades
and Labour Union (AT&LU) and the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU)  to discuss issues affecting the port, including the perennial late payment of salaries and wages.

At that meeting, the minister gave a commitment to discuss the various issues with his Cabinet colleagues and to report their decision by July 15. Informed sources say Walker has requested a meeting with stakeholders at his office on Friday during which he is expected to
relay the intentions of the Cabinet.

“All the issues related to the way forward for the Antigua Port Authority, including the vexing issue of late payment, as well as the report from the consultants, are expected to be addressed during the meeting,” AT&LU Industrial Relations Officer Ralph Potter, one of the invitees to the meeting, reported.

Potter said the stakeholders are, however, attending the meeting at a serious disadvantage. “The AT&LU requested in writing a copy of the report from the consultants Adair and Associates of Jamaica from the chairman of the board, Gregg Walter. But despite giving a verbal assurance to do so at our last meeting, Walter has not lived up to his promise. So we have yet to receive a copy of the report so that we may be able to fully peruse its contents and recommendations,” he stated.

During a verbal presentation of their findings, the consultants, hired by the board to study the statutory body and to make recommendations, identified serious weaknesses among the port’s management team, stating that the current management team was incapable of effectively managing a facility such as the port.

Over the past several years, the Antigua Port Authority has been plagued with a number of serious challenges, including severe financial difficulties and management of its bloated staff. These were some of the issues addressed by the report and about which Walker is expected to state the government’s position during the meeting.

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