Workers at the Jamaica Customs Agency and Tax Administration Jamaica are planning to take industrial action come midnight on February 2 as their frustration over the government’s compensation review process deepens.
The Freedom Come Rain Newspaper was informed that the civil servants are seeking to press home their discontent over policy decisions by the Nigel Clarke-led Ministry of Finance and Public Service, which has impacted their compensation package.
One civil servant who is aware of the planned industrial action said the move could be disastrous for the country, as, “the two entities are the largest revenue streams for Jamaica.”
“They keep going back on their word, they say something and they do something else,” the civil servant said.
The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) and the Finance Ministry have been at loggerheads over the new public sector compensation scheme. In a November 24 media release, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service had stated that the Government did not intend to recover allowances paid over the period April 1 to November 30 this year, but then stated in December 10 circular that money paid for allowances, which are to be discontinued, will be displayed as negative balances on the December payslips of public sector workers.
Calls by FCR to O’Neil Grant, President of the JCSA went unanswered. Last year May, over 2,000 National Water Commission (NWC) workers across Jamaica, including some management personnel went on strike because they felt they were largely left out of the new compensation review for public sector workers. Air traffic controllers went on strike after, resulting in the cancellation of several flights into the island.
