WESTERN BUREAU:The management of the Palmyra Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, has accused the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) and the National Workers' Union of reneging on some of the major stipulations of a 44-point agreement with their building contractors.
Some 130 Jamaican construction workers employed to the multi-million-dollar project went on strike over a week ago in what management says is their seventh illegal work stoppage since an agreement was signed with the unions on July 12 this year.
In a release Monday, Palmyra's president, Dennis Constanzo, claimed "absolute lack of good faith" on the issue, and described the action as "one of intimidation and victimisation" by the unions and the unionised workers.
Mr. Constanzo pointed in particular to the labour management agreement between the contractor and the unions, which is benchmarked by the Joint Industrial Council. Clause 25 of this agreement stipulates in part: 'There shall be no strikes, slow downs or other work stoppages or interference with work or production, and the unions agree that they will not authorise, sanction, approve, instigate or assist any of the same."
Claims from workers
He said the series of illegal strikes, intimidation of the on-site contractor, refusal to wear internationally certified safety gear supplied by the contractor, and false charges by the unionised workers against a non-unionised Jamaican supervisor were "gross and serious acts of sabotage against the development."
One of the claims made by the striking workers was that their Chinese counterparts were getting the benefits of overtime, while they were being prevented. However, Constanzo said most of the workers were no longer required to work overtime on weekends because the project was at an advanced stage of completion and the original work complement was no longer required.
BITU president Ruddy Spencer, in response to the accusatins denied his organiation had tried to victimise either individuals or companies.
"That is not the BITU's style; that is why people of different political persuasions join us," he remarked.
He recommended that Palmyra take its concern to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the body charged with responsibility for settling differences between employers and employees.
As it relates to the labour management agreement, Mr. Spencer said that while he understood and appreciated that there should be strict adherence to any agreement, this would not stand if some workers were receiving preferential treatment.
