Philipsburg: -- Managing Director of the GEBE William Brooks has refused to answer questions pertaining to the ongoing dispute with the union and management of the company. SMN News posed questions to Brooks yesterday during a press conference called by the company to launch its new website."I called this press conference to deal with the launching of our website and I will not answer any questions pertaining to the union and the workers today." In a follow up response he said he would invite the media to another press conference where he would be able to answer their questions".
Giselle Dirckx-Williams the Corporate Communications Officer said the team that put together their new website has been working on the site for over one year and they deserve undivided attention so that they can get the credit they deserved. She said it is unfortunate that the two issues are happening at the same time, but the press conference was called to deal with the launching of their website and nothing else.
After the press conference members of the media were invited to have a toast with the team.
Workers of GEBE are at odds with management whom they say have refused to live up to their Collective Labor Agreement signed since 2006.
The workers via their Union already gave management of the company an ultimatum and only Thursday night a general meeting with the workers and United Federation Union was held.
It was decided during that meeting that all workers of the utility company would gather at the company's main office where they would demand their salary increase. The UFA already made clear that their members would not be going on strike on Monday instead they would be going to demand what is rightfully theirs as well as answers from their boss.
Workers of GEBE are due to a 10% increase in their salaries since 2006 as well as a 2% cost of living adjustment.
Management of GEBE had to come with an appraisal based on work performance which had to be conducted at the end each year which would be basis for the increase, however management has failed to live up to its responsibility since 2006. According to the well placed source GEBE had to compensate its workers with a 5% increase on their salary at the end of 2006 since they failed to meet the obligations of the CLA drafted by the United Federation Union.
The source said in 2007 management of GEBE tried to prepare an appraisal but failed to include the appeals committee which is obligatory and the salary scales structure. The latter was not even presented to the Union. It is said the reason why management of GEBE is withholding the document is simply because they have not lived up the 5% penalty the previous year.
This appraisal did not finish on time which caused the company to be in default and liable by 5% to all its employees for a second year. It is said that without the salary scale the union is not able to make comparisons neither can it monitor the growth of its members. The source said since the appraisal was incomplete the workers of GEBE refused to sign the proposed half finish document.
The employee said that they are peeved because it has been three years now and to date management of GEBE is not making an effort to live up to the CLA and this affects the employees pension funds which is adjusted during the first month of each year. Even if the increases are paid later in the year the workers still stand to loose in their pension for one whole year, however this has been happening for the past three years and there is nowhere to know when management would live up to its obligations.
The source said the last time workers of GEBE got their cost of living adjustment was in 2005 and so far management is not addressing the issue.
It is understood that the Staff Union the ASWI has begun a signature drive where they got over 80% of their membership to endorse the union since management refused to meet with them saying they are not representing the majority of the workers. To do so the union needs to have 51% of the workers as their members.
It is also said that the ASWI was forced to call in the Federal labor mediator since management has failed to meet with them on a number of occasions to sign a collective labor agreement. The source said management is stonewalling the ASWI since they still cannot meet the demands of UFA. Another concern for the workers is that they need to know which of the employees fall under the UFA and which ones fall under ASWI. It is understood that workers position on the job and or his salary is what decides which union he or she falls under and since they are denied the salary scale and structure they are not able to say who their members are.