ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit held talks with a delegation from the Dominica Public Service Union
Dominica workers protest
(DPSU) after workers from the Public Workers Corporation (PWC) staged a street protest Monday over a number of grievances.
DPSU general secretary Thomas Letang, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio, said that an 11 point agenda had been discussed at the meeting and that he was satisfied with the outcome of the deliberations.
“All in all we believe that it was a good meeting and it was what we would have expected. The plan is to now ensure that “there is follow-up. As a matter of fact, it was agreed that sometime in the near future another meeting will be called so that we can review those decisions that were taken,” Letang said.
He said while some of the issues would be dealt with by the PWC management and board, he was assured that “where government had to play its part, we had some agreement on those matters.
“…the Prime Minister has given us the assurance that some money will be made available to the Public Works and the government will honor all its debt to the Public Works,” Thomas said, adding “the union expects “some payment sometime this week”.
Letang said that Prime Minister Skerrit had also given a commitment regarding the payment to the Dominica Social Security contributions.
“Once they make that money available, there will be some kind of system put in place that is to put a payment schedule in place to social security and to ensure that those payments are current and the same would apply to the Inland Revenue”.
Prime Minister Skerrit Also gave the DPSU the assurance that the PWC will not be closed even as hi administration announced plans for the construction of a five-star hotel on the existing site.
“The Prime Minister has assured us that regardless of what is constructed on that site, the Public Works Corporation people will not lose their job, it will not mean the closure of Public Works”.
The further assured them that “at the right time, when a relocation is being discussed, the staff will called and there will be discussion with them on that particular matter”.
