More PWC protest possible

Protesting PWC workers last week
Protesting PWC workers last week

General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) Thomas Letang says protest action by staff of the Public Works Corporation (PWC) will resume if a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the union and the PWC board is not signed by the end of today, Tuesday May 19.

Following two days of protest at the PWC, a meeting was held with the union, PWC board and workers last Friday and it was agreed that the MOU would be signed to specify the time frame and deadlines that certain matters such as the restructuring of the corporation, salaries, social security contributions as well as other terms of employment, had to be dealt with.

The MOU was to be signed by today (Tuesday) but Letang said by late Tuesday morning he had not heard from the PWC board.

“The draft was sent yesterday, I had the responsibility to prepare it,” he stated. “I was told this morning after I made some calls that they discussed it and the chairman had to get back to me and there were one or two slight changes that they were proposing and they were supposed to get back to me this morning. Up until this point I have not heard from the chairman.

Letang said Friday’s meeting made it clear that the MOU will be signed today.

“If by today there is no signing then protest action will continue in whatever form that we find it fit,” he continued. “But our hope is that common sense will prevail and that management and the board will keep to their end of their promise to do all what they can do to have the matter resolved and we ourselves are interested in seeing a resolution to it.”

He said he did not anticipate any changes to the MOU.

But according to PWC board chairman, Titus Francis, the MOU should be signed by today since it was reviewed and analyzed.

“I think all things being equal we have conducted an analysis of the document, we have reviewed it and there are one or two concerns that we have, so as soon as we can clarify those concerns I am inclined to believe that we can get those documents signed some time during the course of today,” he said. “In principle we have accepted the points which constitute the understanding but we just want some adjustments in time lines and those kinds of things,” said on privately-owned Kairi FM News.

Protest action by staff of the Public Works Corporation (PWC) officially came to an end on Friday after two days. Workers complained that they have not been paid for four fortnights and they say there are other matter currently affecting staff.

The protest began on Wednesday when workers locked the gate to the facility and on Thursday afternoon the DPSU, the management and board of directors of the PWC met to discuss the matter.

Another meeting, which included staff of the PWC, was held on Friday at the DPSU’s building on Valley Road.

Following the meeting Letang, said it was agreed that the agreement will be signed between the union and the board no later than today.

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10 Comments

  1. May 21, 2015

    Public works should be an institution creating employment in stead of being a burden on the coffers of government.it is myopic visions by governments that has created this crisis.just giving p.w.c a contract to mine sand in the layou river would have resolved all of the p.w.c money problems.time to make p.w.c a producer company.

  2. Give it 2dem's buddy
    May 20, 2015

    General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) Thomas Letang says protest action by staff of the Public Works Corporation (PWC) will resume if a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the union and the PWC board is not signed by the end of today, Tuesday May 19.
    hey Letang! take a leaf from 1979 close down the country if U can. Who knows U may well make President by 2041 thirty five yrs from now.
    My buddy Give it to Dem what say you.

  3. Smoke without Fire
    May 19, 2015

    Mr. Letang and PWD talking too much with nothing to show as fruits. All they doing is talk, talk, talk and Skerrit is not even bothered with them. If Letang and PWD serious all they have to do is stage a massive protest without talking.

  4. why-so-serious
    May 19, 2015

    they[the government of d/ca] will continue to take this guys on a long long ride! will this sh*t ever end?

  5. john
    May 19, 2015

    Quite the job put your money together and go and build v illars let your finance people help you, stop sending your money to miami for the cubans to import rotten chicken raise the chicken your self

    • Anon
      May 20, 2015

      Well john,,, your previous rants I thought were meant to stimulate us, no matter how repetitive, but now kinda off-topic; you are beginning to show signs of going off the deep end? lol

  6. Harry Mack
    May 19, 2015

    Letang, stop allowing those guys to use you like a Margie, can ‘t you see the guys are playing games with you? and in the process they are messing with the lives of the PWC workers and their family.
    What gutless government would do that to its workers while they go about dishing out money to their lackies?
    This is unacceptable, but again, Dominica Nice.

  7. Doc. Love
    May 19, 2015

    I have said before and some DLP supporters took issue with me. If the Skeritt led Administration does not settle all matters, within the next two weeks, whether it is Salisbury, PWD, Lindo Park and their is turmoil in the country, neither the Australians nor the Canadians will send their people to Dominica. I would like to advise Skeritt to stay away from Salisbury, at least, until the two sporting events are over.

  8. Investigator
    May 19, 2015

    Keep up the effort!

  9. Shaka zulu
    May 19, 2015

    SOS different day

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