Dismissed Port workers stage protest at Gov’t Headquarters

By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-FORMER shipside workers marched outside of Government Headquarters, Church Street earlier today (Dec. 10) demanding severance pay that has been owed to them for past 198 days.

Carrying placards and marching at the step of the federal government’s head office, the protesters stated that thirty-four workers are owed money from the Department of Labour after being removed from their posts at the Port.

“Since the end of May the workers have been owed this money. We were told that within three months our severance money would be paid to us, and now we are over one hundred days past that deadline and still no word of when we should expect it,” Chinassio Huggins, one of the workers who is now at home with no income, told SKNVibes.

Because the amount of money owed to the workers is calculated based up their time with their companies and many of the workers had held their jobs for 30-plus years, Huggins said that the amount of money owed is substantial.

“There are old guys just sitting home and they can’t do anything because the Labour Department won’t pay up,” he said.

According to one anonymous source, trouble for the workers actually started in August of 2007 when they banded together as stevedores to strike against S. L. Horsford, TDC and Delisle Walwyn & Co. Ltd. for pursuing “anti-union activities”.

“The employees wanted to be paid under what is called the Waterfront Local Registration and Rotation System.  ~~Adz:Right~~

“Because those companies wanted to pay the employees in a way that was more in their favor, they came together under the banner of a new company called Port Services Ltd. Once they did that, they were able to hire new workers and fire those who were striking because they were redundant,” the source said.

Shortly after forming, the protest outside of Government Headquarters was broken up when Minister with responsibility for Labour, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Condor, told the workers that he would “get to the bottom of their concerns” and would do his best to have their money paid in a timely manner. 

Huggins said that some of the workers were placated by this promise and the protest dispersed shortly thereafter, but he had doubts about the truth of Condor’s promises.

“I told him directly that talk is nothing but talk. He can tell you one thing and then nothing happens. He said everything was in place, but if it was in place then there is nothing to get to the bottom of. We just want our money that is owed to us.”

Condor told the workers that he would be happy to meet with them this coming Monday (Dec. 15), to which Huggins said he would ensure all thirty-four workers are present to ensure their demands are met.