General Secretary of the BWU, Toni Moore.
INDUSTRIAL action is brewing against one of the island’s largest providers of security services.
In a statement issued yesterday, it was noted that a team from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), led by General Secretary Toni Moore, has informed Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations that the Executive Council will formalise in writing its intention to take industrial action against G4S Secure Solutions.
The action comes after more than five hours of talks on Friday evening, between the negotiating team of the BWU and G4S management, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations Colin Jordan. The parties reached no conclusion on the matters in dispute.
According to the statement, “The BWU is disappointed that G4S has shown no commitment to address its violation of the principle of equal pay for equal work by eliminating the pay gap of workers performing the same functions.
“G4S attended the meeting but failed to honour an earlier promise to table a proposal with a view to advancing the wages talks, thereby leaving no doubt that the company has no real interest in settling the dispute. It is the BWU’s position that this situation has reached an untenable level that will not be tolerated.”
According to the statement, the General Secretary of the BWU expressed the union’s resolve to continue its fight against G4S and other companies that seek to undermine the principles and system of industrial relations in Barbados.
Employees protested outside of the company’s Brighton headquarters twice last week with the BWU warning management of G4S and other companies not to renege on obligations made to staff.