THE Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) has been given one week to favourably respond to a letter from the Postal Workers Union demanding the implementation of an outstanding wage proposal of an 18.6 per cent increase based on a 2011 report and recommendation.
The union's secretary general, David Forbes, led a group of members to the CPO's office on Monday morning after gathering at Augustus Williams Square in Woodbrook.
They marched to the CPO's office on Alexandra Street, singing and clapping in the mid-morning heat.
After delivering the letter to the CPO office, Forbes said workers felt disappointed by the lack of attention given to their wage negotiations in light of the proposed salary increase for parliamentary workers and how quickly their recommendation was given.
After delivering the letter to the CPO office, Forbes said workers felt disappointed by the lack of attention given to their wage negotiations in light of the proposed salary increase for parliamentary workers and how quickly their recommendation was given.
He said the union had sent a letter to the CPO in 2022 asking about the 2011 proposal but did not receive any acknowledgement or response. He questions the Salary Review Commission's ability to fast-track the government report and proposal while workers still call for their proposed increase 14 years later.
He stressed that the letter is for the period in question, which is 2010. Forbes said the CPO’s office advised the union last year that the postal workers' file had not reached their attention yet.
Forbes said that post-workers are also paying attention to the industrial court's responses to cases brought by other trade unions centred around salary increases. But he reiterated that his union's focus is solely on the job evaluation and review done in 2011, more so in light of the proposed increase for parliamentary workers.
“We expect a favourable response given what has been laid in parliament. What we are saying is that what is good for one should be good for all. It cannot be that we are living in a society where laws and processes are working for some and not for all.”
Forbes said that despite no wage increase, workers have taken on additional duties since the 2011 report, but their salaries have not reflected this. He said his organisation wants salaries to be paid retroactively, saying that since the 2011 review, some workers have retired and others have passed without getting their money.
“This is not the first time we have raised our concerns in public. Given what we have seen from the Salary Review Commission and how quickly they were able to process and make proposals for parliamentarian workers, we are saying that postal worker concerns have to be addressed just as quickly. We cannot do this alone and we are also calling for public support.”
He said that after one week if there is no feedback from the CPO, the union will immediately call a meeting and decide their next step.
He said the union wrote to the Minister of Public Utilities, Marvin Gonzales, in Februar
