Unions reject gov’t’s offer in reclassification exercise

It’s back to the drawing board for officials of the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the negotiators representing the Public Service Union (PSU) and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) after both sides failed to reach an agreement concerning the second phase of the reclassification process.{{more}}

A joint statement by unions’ presidents Cools Vanloo of the PSU and Joy Matthews of the SVUT, indicates that the six per cent offered by the government is not satisfactory to their members.

According to the release, the unions are of the opinion that little or no consideration was given to the proposals put forward by them, and that given the increasing food and fuel prices among others, anything less than the union recommended 13 per cent would be insufficient.

Both parties have been meeting for the past six months, and it is the hope of the unions that a solution is reached soon.

In January this year, the teachers took two days off from school to “rest and reflect” after voicing dissatisfaction with the first phase of the reclassification process.

The release issued by the unions has not pointed towards industrial action as yet, instead it says that there will be continued negotiation and talks.(JJ)