Good Friday?was sweet for dozens of sugar workers at Portvale Factory.
But it is not a done deal. There are still more questions than answers but the crippling sugar strike that has engulfed this country is over and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) is claiming a victory for workers all across the island.
The talks between the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) and the BWU finally ended in the wee hours of yesterday morning at the Warrens Office Complex after nine hours of deliberations under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour Esther Byer Suckoo.
Just after 1 a.m. Byer Suckoo, in the presence of BWU?general secretary Sir Roy Trotman, BAMC?general manager Leslie Parris and Chief Labour Officer Vincent Burnett, read out the final draft of a document that both teams had agreed to and signed.
The issue surrounding the separation package for the 57 sacked workers from Andrews Sugar Factory still remains a bone of contention, but Sir Roy thinks the union has earned some of the respect it has been asking for over the last eight days.
Byer Suckoo noted that there had been misunderstandings in the redundancy consultation process, adding that the parties had agreed to seek solutions in forthcoming meetings to deal with unresolved issues by month-end (April 30).
Sir Roy acknowledged that much still has to be done.
