DASPA Workers Strike – PM Not Negotiating with Illegal Industrial Action

DASPA workers chanting “No Increase No Work”. 

The workers sasy they are being ill-treated by the management of the port. 

But Prime Minister and Minister of finance Roosevelt Skerrit has taken a very firm decision on DASPA and the government on the salary negations for DASPA workers.

DASPA workers took strike action this morning to vent their frustration of salary increase while some protested against what they said were none salary payments for three months

Mister Skerrit in an address to the nation this morning made it clear that DASPA will not negotiate salaries with a gun to its head.  

The Prime Minister says there shall be no negotiations at any level while workers are out on what he terms ‘illegal industrial action.’

Mister Skerrit believes it unfair for DASPA workers to be asking for salary increases when there are still hundreds of people without roofs over their heads

The workers are represented by the Dominica Public Service Union. Meantime DPSU General Secretary Thomas Letang says despite being an essential service, the workers are entitled to protest action. 

Letang says the union has no desire to meet the Chief Executive Officer of DASPA Benoit Barduille as he has failed to meet the needs of his workers. 

Letang will meet Board of the Dominica Air and Sea Port Authority on Wednesday next week and will meet with the workers on Thursday

One worker of DASPA refutes claims that port workers received a double salary last year and that management still owes the worker’s salary increases from 2014 and 2016.

Meantime senior counsel Anthony Astaphans says this is bad timing by DASPA employees and such action should note be allowed given the fact that Dominica is still in a recovery mode.