JIS technical staff disgruntled over unresolved compensation issues

By Kimone Witter    

 

Disgruntled technical staff at the Jamaica Information Service are taking action over unresolved issues under the new public sector compensation scheme.

 

The workers say among the contentious issues are placement in the wrong band, which sees them getting less than what they were paid prior to the new compensation system.

 

The staff are expected to gather at the Office of the Prime Minister to present their concerns to Information Minister Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon.

 

The Jamaica Civil Service Association, the union representing JIS workers, says they have turned up for work but it is unclear about further planned action.

 

JCSA President Techa Clarke-Griffiths says the concerns of the workers were brought to the JIS management.

 

She says the protest may have little impact on ongoing negotiations. 

 

"I don't know if the action will expedite it. What I know though is that the process to get the matters addressed have already been far advanced. And the JIS would have been integral in putting those matters forward to the Ministry of Finance and the TIU (Transformation Implementation Unit). 

 

"We were in discussion with the management team as to how we can sort those matters out, when I had dialogue with the management team who informed me that last week they would have met with the team and gave them updates as to where they are in the process. And I am told now that they had discussions with the Ministry of Finance on the matter. So I'm still waiting informally for the management to respond to me what is happening now with this staff," she said. 

 

The workers are also upset over the failure of the management to implement an overtime compensation scheme and to pay retroactive mileage for over two years.