General secretary of Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) Caswell Franklyn is disputing the back pay Government said it has distributed to officers of the Barbados Prison Service for their overtime throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a Government release yesterday, it was announced that the payments, dating back to 2021, were disbursed to workers this week to officers who were mandated to work 12-hour shifts, exceeding the standard seven- to eight-hour workday.
“By the close of business [yesterday], all prison officers should have received their long-awaited payment, representing the monies owed for extended hours worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fairness
“It should be noted that, throughout this period, our prison officers – classified as essential workers – reported for duty daily under immense pressure and personal risk, and were mandated to work 12-hour shifts, far exceeding the standard seven- to eighthour workday . . . . This payment is not merely a financial transaction; it is a long-overdue act of recognition and fairness.”
The release added: “The Ministry of Home Affairs sincerely apologises to all prison officers for the delay in receiving the payment rightfully owed to them for their extraordinary service during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognise the frustration and hardship that this postponement may have caused, especially given the immense sacrifices the officers made when the nation needed them most.”
Below expectations
However, Franklyn is claiming that the pay packets were below expectations, with at least one officer being short paid by $70 000.
“I have one person where we calculated his overtime and it turned out to be $74 000-plus and they gave him $3 220-something. They have been given an amount of money that does not bear any relation to what they earned or what they were entitled to,” he told the Saturday Sun.
Franklyn said that according to his calculations, officers working 12-hour shifts would be entitled to four hours of overtime pay, which accounts to 80 hours over the course of a four-week month, and 100 hours over a five-week month.
“The prison decided that instead of paying these men the 80 hours overtime for that month, they will give them one day’s pay for each month that they work overtime. One day’s pay is eight hours, but you are giving eight hours when they actually work 80.
“Or in some months when they work 100 hours, you are giving eight hours pay, and that is the basis for paying them out,” he charged.
He said officers had instructed the UWU to take the matter to court.
“I am in the process of getting names of people who want their names to be in that court action. So what we are doing now is to make sure that every member of my union who wants to get their money, their name will be in the lawsuit.”
Along with the complaints about back pay, Franklyn also claimed that the officers’ national insurance contributions were not paid by the prison, nor were their payslips delivered, the latter in breach of regulations.
“They are saying that they didn’t take out national insurance and they’re going to take out their national insurance and PAYE over the next three months . . . . If you do not take out national insurance out of your employee’s wages, then when you have to pay it in, you have to pay both.
“So the prison is actually now [wrong] by going into people’s salary and taking out money that they have no entitlement to take out,” he said.
The general secretary said these developments were unacceptable after the officers waited four years for the payments.
When contacted for a response, Superintendent of Prisons DeCarlo Payne would only say: “That is out of my hands. I am not having any discussion on that at this time.”
However, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams said he was not aware of any dispute from workers where payments were concerned, but urged those with any claims of discrepancies to come forward.
He said the amounts referred to his Ministry were processed through the Ministry of Public Service.
“The information was certified to us, it was referred to all who were responsible for processing the payment as well as the [Ministry of] Public Service. The payments were made in accordance to the information that was given to us.
“If there is a discrepancy or an argument to be made for something else, then the aggrieved persons are more than welcome and encouraged to submit the additional documentation or make their case and it will be considered.”
He added: “The aim is not to nickel and dime or short-change anybody. The aim is to give persons what they are entitled according to the law and according to how they work. We will need [to do] what we need to do and we will facilitate anything to achieve that aim.” (JRN)
