Workers at Foodland Market Square supermarket in the heart of the city are continuing their strike action to protest the conditions of employment on the job.

The workers have been complaining of getting work wet due to damage suffered by the building following the passage of Hurricane Ivan over Grenada on September 7.

The Commercial and Industrial Workers Union (CIWU), led by Elliot Bishop, is the bargaining agents for the employees. The supermarket was forced to close its doors last week Thursday as the workers stayed off the job complaining "of the serious danger to their health and safety due to the wet and slippery floors, leaking ceilings, dampness and itching of the skin from contaminated water leaking through the tarpulin used to cover the roofing".

The Management of Huggins has released for public attention the text of a letter sent to the CIWU boss on the impasse:

January 18, 2005

Mr. Elliot Bishop
President
Commercial and Industrial Worker's Union,
Grand Anse
St. George's

Dear Mr. Bishop

RE: Industrial Action at Geo. F. Huggins & Co. (G'da) Ltd.

We refer to your letter dated January 14, 2005, received by us at 4:25 p.m. yesterday January 17th. We wish to reply in sequence to the points raised in your correspondence.

(1) Poor working conditions at Foodland, Market Square Supermarket

Your Union is fully aware that this company does not own the premises situate at the Market Square. These premises are owned by three absentee owners as represented by their local agent, Messrs, Henry, Henry & Bristol (Mr. C.W.J. Bristol QC).

Communication has been very difficult over the intervening months. As yet we still do not have a date on which renovations will commence. We wish to categorically refute the statement made in the second paragraph of your letter to the effect that "we were advised by the Company that they would get back to us later that day."

Our entire management team vehemently denies that this statement was ever made, and at no stage was the Union promised a reply "on that day", as no one was in a position to respond for the reasons aforementioned. The first paragraph of your letter states:- "After weeks of complaining to Management about the poor working conditions at Foodland Supermarket (Market Square) and having no positive response from Management, the Workers had no other choice, but, to remove themselves from the Workplace to protect themselves from the serious danger to their health and safety on Thursday 13th January, 2005."

You will no doubt recall raising the issue for the first time at a meeting in our Board Room on Tuesday January 11, 2005. At that meeting your reference to the state of the building was merely an observation, and not an issue of any extensive or critical importance. We gave the Union the assurance that the Company was doing everything in its power to address the situation as speedily as humanly possible.

We were therefore surprised that less than 48 hours after, our workers withheld their services without further dialogue or official notice as set out in Article 31 of the Collective Agreement. At date, the situation remains the same.

(2). Salary increases

As far we are aware this issue is now before the Labour Commissioner and will be addressed in his presence at a meeting scheduled for January 28, 2005.

(3). Profit Sharing

To begin with, your inference that the Company did not make a profit in the financial year ended September 30, 2003 is, to say the least, erroneous. As you are obviously aware, this Company has never refused to make available to your Union, sight of a copy of the audited financial statement.

Indeed, Article 30 (c) of the Collective Agreement clearly establishes the procedure for this exercise. Be advised that our external auditors, Messrs PriceWaterhouseCoopers, have not as yet completed their audit for the financial year ended September 30, 2004. These statements will be made available for scrutiny at our registered office on Grand Etang Road, St. George's, as soon as they are received.

Based on our internal accounts, and upon your Union's insistence, the payment of profit sharing was made in the first week of January. We have disbursed, faithfully, in keeping with the provisions of Article 30 (a) of the Industrial Contract, the sum due to each member within the bargaining unit.

(4). Meeting with the Labour Commissioner

We were invited by the Labour Commissioner to a meeting at his office on Friday, January 14, 2005. At no stage were we informed that a third party would be present.