On standby

With the failure of yesterday’s talks between unions and the National Conservation Commission (NCC), Barbadians are now waiting to see if enhanced protest action will take place this week.
Even before the failure, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) already had the go-ahead for industrial action from its executive, and the word is that Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) workers could be the first people called out in any major protest.
However, yesterday both the NUPW and Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) leaders committed themselves to peacefully pursuing negotiations.
Last night NUPW general secretary Dennis Clarke told the DAILY NATION the union would have to discuss “where we go from here to satisfy the legitimate concerns of our members”.
He said the union would give Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo the chance to “step in” and try for a settlement of the dispute over how the NCC retrenched nearly 200 workers.