Frustrated Cave Hill Campus Staff at University of the West Indies Initiate Industrial Action Over Payment Delays

Some frustrated staff of the Cave Hill Campus of University of the West Indies are taking industrial action over what they say have been continuous delays in payment of wages and allowances.

Staff staged a protest outside the Administration office, from around 9 a.m., after gathering outside the Floyd Reifer Balcony of the 3Ws Oval for a meeting with their Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) reps Geoffrey Mapp and Chulang Searles.

There were heated discussions over the delays in payment which workers said had been ongoing for ten months. Mapp, an inventory and facilities officer at the UWI, said the meeting was called to discuss what action they would take.

The BWU subsequently issued a statement from general secretary Toni Moore that they were officially taking industrial.

“After prolonged negotiations and repeated warnings, the BWU . . . has been compelled to announce industrial action. This decision is not taken lightly but comes as a response to the university’s continued non-fulfilment of financial obligations, despite assurances made in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Service,” the union stated.

It said they had been negotiating since early 2023, “seeking fair compensation for the public servants affected . . . . Despite repeated assurances, the university has not met its commitment to adjust salaries and allowances as agreed upon. Industrial action is set to commence on January 31, unless a satisfactory agreement is reached beforehand.”