Three separate government entities in Grenada were hit by industrial action on Monday as the powerful Technical and Allied Workers (TAWU) called out its members to protest against a range of issues.

Several employees attached to the National Water and Sewage Authority (NAWASA), Grenada Postal Corporation (GPC) and Grenada Ports Authority (GPA) downed tools as part of a joint solidarity action against their employers.

According to TAWU, since October 2003 it had made several attempts to settle a long outstanding allowance issue at NAWASA involving Driver/Plumber Pipe-fitter but the matter remains unresolved.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Vice President of TAWU, Gordon Raeburn said that since 2005 the Union proposed an allowance of $15 per day for its workers and was near settlement under the Michael Creft management but the Board of Directors was changed and the situation was frustrated.

He stated that in March the matter was forwarded to the Minister of Labour for mediation but nothing has been done to settle the issue.
The entire workforce of NAWASA which plays a critical role control in water distribution, and the manning of reservoirs and other critical facilities involving supply of water to the public were not called off the job to ensure that the nation¹s water supply was not interrupted.

The battle by TAWU against the Postal Corporation is to ensure that the increments of workers for the past five years were paid to them immediately. According to Raeburn, the last increment paid to employees was in 2002, for 2001 and that since then workers have never received any payments which should be done annually.

With the huge hikes in cost of living on the island, TAWU is demanding immediate payments of all retroactive increments due to workers. The union also reiterated its position on the struggle now being waged with the management at the Port Authority for equal pay for equal work.

TAWU announced that it was able to get the authority to pay port workers their two days sick leave payment that were initially deducted for taking industrial action. The industrial climate in Grenada remains unsettled following a letter issued by GPA General Manager, Ambrose Phillip, last week Wednesday advising of its intention to retrench TAWU members due to financial difficulties.

According to Raeburn, the union is at a loss as to why the boss on the port is suddenly trying to retrench employees while the industrial climate at the Port is at its worst. He noted that only TAWU workers have seemingly been singled out for retrenchment.

TAWU issued a call to its general membership to prepare to give solidarity support to affected workers at the port, water utility and postal corporation. It warned that if these issues remain unresolved for much longer then it will take full blown industrial action in the country.

The last time TAWU resorted to "solidarity strikes" in Grenada a few years ago it took the Conference of Churches of Grenada (CCG) to intervene as business grounded to a halt following action by workers in key areas of the economy like airport, sea port, water, electricity and telecommunications.