Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing says the Port-of-Spain City Corporation has contingency plans in place and is well prepared to move garbage from the streets of the capital. Lee Sing made the statement in a telephone interview yesterday in response to protest action by the corporation's garbage collectors. He said the garbage collectors had several grievances, some legitimate and some not. Lee Sing added: "We have put breaks on the inherited overtime culture in the corporation.
"Overtime is not the only issue. We also have inherited problems in the corporation's recruitment process.
"Workers will normally bring their family members to fill vacant positions." Lee Sing said the new policy for recruitment in the corporation was to advertise positions and to have an interview process. "This does not sit well with the trade unions,' he added. Lee Sing defended the relocation of the garbage collectors to a facility at Christopher Samuel Drive, St James.
The division formerly occupied a park on Sankar Street, St James. near the St James Secondary School.
"That area is a play park. It was unacceptable to have them there. In the new facility we created three offices from containers and it has adequate toilet facilities for the employees," he said. Lee Sing also promised more improvement to the facility as funding became available. In response to Lee Sing, Amalgamated Worker's Union vice president Michael Prentice, who represents the corporation's workers, claimed Lee Sing's statement was the furthest thing from the truth.
Prentice said: "Changes were made to the corporation's work schedule without discussions with the union, in violation of industrial relations policy." He said under the new work schedule garbage collectors had to work in the height of daytime traffic, on weekends and do a job which had high health and safety risks, all without receiving overtime pay. Prentice added: "Under previous agreements, if garbage is left on the ground for more than 24 hours, workers are entitled to four-and-a-half hours overtime pay. "Now garbage may be there for more than 48 hours and the workers have to remove it for flat pay, even though health risks are higher after that time."
Prentice said the new location for the garbage collectors at Christopher Samuel Drive also was unacceptable.
"The new site just comprises three containers and some tarpaulin. A roof was expected to be built over two months ago," he added. Prentice warned tif the workers' grievances were not addressed, the union's response would be heightened and may include a march to City Hall.
