BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AFTER making their voices heard and their demands laid out, workers of the St. Kitts Electricity Company (SKELEC) have come to a compromise with the company on the way forward.
Approximately 20-30 workers had downed tools last week to protest several grievances that they had with the functioning of the company and also the fact that they did not receive the honorarium.
Minister of Public Infrastructure and Energy, Konris Maynard provided an update, writing in a statement that a compromise was reached and the matter is being dealt with internally by the management team.
After the workers took action, they met with the Minister who recommended that they go through the proper channels to express their grievances so that they would be resolved.
They then held a meeting with management of the statutory agency and a number of resolutions were agreed to.
“I am advised that the meeting was respectful, successful and that there was unanimity among staff in striking off two items from the ‘List of Requests’ that was widely circulated across Social Media, namely, the request for re-assignment of SKELEC Senior Management and the request for removal of a Director from the Board of Directors. It was agreed that the inclusion of these items to the ‘List of Requests’ by the unknown author of the list did not reflect the wishes of the majority of the staff,” the Minister explained.
He also revealed: “The management and staff will now proceed internally to address the issues raised, and with the support of the new Board of Directors, the Government looks forward to a much-improved synergy of work relations within SKELEC.”
The Minister explained that on the morning of Tuesday, November 1, 2022, a group of SKELEC staff gathered at the administration office of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, demanding a meeting with the Minister to discuss grievances they have had over the past several years.
“I completely understand their frustrations. However, since the election of the new Government Administration, there has been no formal or informal engagement, or request for engagement of the Management of SKELEC, the new Board of Directors of SKELEC, or my Ministry by the aggrieved staff. Therefore, the SKELEC staff’s informal public demand to meet with me yesterday was procedurally premature and did not follow due process for professional industrial relations,” an official release from the Ministry of Public Workers indicated.
