JUTC, unions meet to end bus driver strike

By Kimone Witter    

 

A meeting should be underway at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) head office in Spanish Town, St. Catherine involving the management and union representatives in a bid to end the strike by drivers of the state run entity.

 

The withdrawal of service stems from a dispute on the weekend involving a female driver and two Franchise Protection Inspectors.

 

The JUTC management has called for the drivers to return to their duties and allow an investigation into the incident to unfold in a fair and just manner.

 

In a statement, the JUTC said the strike at the Rockfort, Portmore and Spanish Town depots resulted in disruption on several routes.

 

The company said it has implemented contingency measures to minimise the impact of the strike on commuters.

 

The drivers, who are represented by the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), are demanding that the Franchise Protection Inspectors be immediately terminated.

 

But the JUTC said it does not support the demand without a full investigation and as such deems the strike by the drivers as unnecessary.

 

The company did not give details on the incident but Radio Jamaica News was informed that the driver was physically assaulted by a Franchise Protection Inspector after an anomaly was discovered with a ticket.

 

It's reported that the husband of the inspector, who is also employed in the same department, intervened in support of his spouse.

 

The JUTC said preliminary steps were taken to address the matter, including the temporary reassignment of the employees while maintaining their benefits.

 

The company said the measures were communicated to all relevant parties with assurances that appropriate action would be taken upon conclusion of an investigation.

 

It's understood that the incident was captured on a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera.

 

In the meantime, John Levy, General Secretary of the Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE), has rejected the call for the Franchise Protection Inspectors to be terminated.

 

Mr. Levy said the demand is an overreach. He agreed that the drivers should allow the investigation into the incident to proceed unhindered. 

 

"We were written to by the management, advising that they would have taken the three persons who were involved in an altercation off front-line duty, having shared a video recording with both unions and everybody accepting that, yes, let us have an investigation in the matter and see, you know, what can be the outcome of that investigation and how it can be treated," he explained. 

 

"For any other party now to demand that the management send home any member of staff... if the management were to accede to that request, I would suggest that they all pack up and hand over the company to the group that is issuing those instructions to them," Mr. Levy chided. 

 

Meanwhile, Clifton Grant, First Vice President of the UAWU, declined to comment ahead of the meeting with the JUTC management. 

 

While private operators have been benefitting from the disruption in service at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, one advocacy group has called for a resolution to the matter.

 

Egeton Newman, President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS), said the private operators have been doing their best to fill the gaps and move passengers as quickly as possible. 

 

"But we urge the Jamaica Urban Transit Company to do what is right and bring a settlement to what I would consider a tripartite relationship and fight, that should never happen in the first place.... And therefore, the unions need to work with the management and the staff to bring immediate settlement to the present challenges," he appealed.