NBC radio signs fourth collective agreement

The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Public Service Union (PSU) have signed their fourth collective agreement.{{more}}

The agreement was signed by representatives of the PSU and NBC, during a press conference on Wednesday.

The collective agreement which, this year, has as its main change a cost of living salary increase of 1.5 per cent, speaks to the responsibilities of management and workers, so that there is a high level of efficiency within the organization.

President of the PSU Cools Vanloo stated that he looks forward to the implementation of the agreement.

“We recognize the challenging times that both parties are facing; the workers in respect of increased cost of living and management in terms of issues relating to economic contraction, revenues et cetera,” Vanloo said.

“I’m pleased to say that taking all of those factors into consideration, we’ve been able to arrive at an amicable agreement which satisfies both management and workers to the extent that the agreement that was negotiated was, in fact, ratified by the workers themselves.”

Additionally, the president stated that although the PSU has agreements with other organizations, the NBC has been the only corporation to successively negotiate, ratify and sign their agreement.

Manager of the NBC Corletha Ollivierre stated that the collective agreement has a lifespan of two years.

“By November 2014, we should have concluded negotiations for a new cycle, because we have a set time frame within which negotiations are to be completed,” she said.

Ollivierre also stated that despite disagreements while negotiating, she is happy that the documents have got to the stage where they are to be signed.

“What we’re anticipating is that there be cooperation in its implementation,” the manager said.

Furthermore, Ollivierre spoke of a new benefit that will be available to workers of the Corporation from this year, which is not a part of the agreement.

“At present, there is no pension agreement, neither within the collective agreement with the Public Service Union nor as an organization,” she said.

“Within the National Broadcasting Corporation, at the policy level and at management, it was agreed that we would institute what we call an ‘employees benefit fund,’ whereby retiring staff would be able to receive a handshake on their departure from the Corporation when they attain their retirement age.”

This lump sum of money will be available to NBC workers at the age of 60, the organization’s designated retirement age.(BK)