Barbados Revenue Authority Faces Ultimatum from Unity Workers’ Union Amid Staff Dispute
March 14, 2024
BRA faces ultimatum from UWU to recognize the union as bargaining agent amid strike action by workers, demanding resolution of grievances and alleged unfair dismissals. Potential further industrial action.
The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) has been given until today to recognise Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) as its staffers’ bargaining agent, or be faced with further industrial action tomorrow.
That ultimatum came from UWU general secretary Caswell Franklyn as he addressed BRA workers who participated in strike action at the Authority offices in The Pine, St. Michael, yesterday.
More than 50 workers from various BRA locations did not report for duty but rather turned up in The Pine with placards in hand, demanding that management recognise UWU as their bargaining agent and calling for their grievances and the alleged unfair dismissal of two employees to be addressed.
Some of the placards read, Fairness to All BRA Staff, Resign, and We Collect The Bread And Are Paid The Crumbs.
“We are here to close the offices or to inconvenience BRA into behaving themselves . . . . I don’t want to inconvenience the public, I just want the people to be aware of what is going on. The next step is that if they don’t behave, Friday is pay day and we very well might be back out on Friday,” Franklyn said. (AH)
