A collective agreement signed yesterday clears the way for 65 monthly paid employees of the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco) to get a 14 per cent wage increase for the 2011-2013 period.The collective agreement was signed by Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke and officials of Namdevco at the offices of the Ministry of Food Production in St Clair.
The workers are expected to get their new salaries from next month and back pay by November."We have been able to achieve what would have been impossible during the period 2008-2010," Duke said. "While we have gotten nine per cent for that period, we have gotten 14 per cent for this period. I am indeed thankful for it knowing that as the economy improved so did our salaries.
"We are looking forward for the next negotiations from 2014 to 2017 knowing fully well that that these negotiations would look even better than the 14 per cent."
Duke said although oil prices were falling, T&T would still be in a position to give salary increases if the economy was diversified . He said. "I expect that any government coming would boost areas like tourism, will boost areas in the manufacturing sector. These are areas that they have been talking about for quite a while but they have not been exploring these areas." The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj.