Black Immigrant Daily News
Following claims by the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) instructed the Corporation to delay payments to staff, the head of the island’s largest trade union is setting the record straight.
Toni Moore, general secretary of the BWU, in a media release on Tuesday, asserted that the trade union has been demanding payments for CBC staff, including those terminated in 2017.
Moore stated that the BWU was forced to respond after CBC made disparaging comments in a section of the media.
“CBC is quoted as making certain public statements on February 6 regarding its non-payment of certain sums of money to former employees of that Corporation to cover the period from 2017 to when they were terminated. Those statements do not represent an accurate account of what has been obtained so far in this matter.
“At no point did the CBC act on any command or instruction of the BWU to withhold or delay any payment to CBC staff, including those terminated after 2017,” Moore remarked.
She explained that the BWU has been in talks with CBC, dating to 2016 when the Corporation defaulted on the agreement to have annual increments paid until CBC implemented a performance assessment programme.
Another agreement was reached on December 6, 2022, where CBC’s chief executive officer Sanka Price signed to the payments of employees who were due fees from September 2017.
Five increments are due to employees to bring the situation to current.
According to the agreement, notwithstanding the dire financial situation at CBC, the Corporation was to administer back pay of one increment for the period of September 1, 2017 to August 2018 during December payroll. Payments were also to be made to former CBC employees.
Recognising the financial challenges that the Corporation faced, said payments would severely affect its operations and service to the public. Therefore, CBC indicated plans to continue discussions with the BWU on the measures that can be employed to meet the remaining arrears to employees.
The BWU general secretary maintained that they were not treating the plight of workers and its members in “any carefree manner”.
NewsAmericasNow.com
