April First or Else….Unions Say it Still Stands
Cordel Hyde
And what happens to the ultimatum – April first or else – that the unions issued last week for the reinstatement of increments? The unions believe their increments should resume with the economy rebounding and allowances returned to high-level government officials. Following today’s meeting, it would appear that there are different perspectives on whether that ultimatum still stands.
Cordel Hyde, Acting Prime Minister
“That’s not the spirit of conversation that we have. When we meet, we don’t deal with ultimatums, we don’t talk at each other, we talk to each other. And I think it was really the usual atmosphere where we are able to engage. The meeting was short today, it lasted only four hours. In the next two weeks, we won’t disappoint you; it will last a bit longer.”
Reporter
“Sir, but it was thrown out there. Was it brought again in this meeting?”
Cordel Hyde
“Well we told the folks that we have to keep the main thing the main thing. It is a famous Pat Riley quote and I think that’s what we tried to do today. We focused on the main things and tried to cover some ground with those main things. And those are the main things.”
Duane Moody
“April first or else, is that still on the table? Is that still the position of the unions?”
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“Yeah. I think that we were clear in what we want to do in terms of how we intend to get what our members have directed us to get on their behalf. And so, April first continues to be a timeline for us in achieving a closure to these things in a responsible and amicable way in partnering with the government because it is not lost on us that we are partners with the government in terms of the administration and running of this country. It is not the union that pick these fights you know; sometimes when you see the union and the government having difference of opinion or being hostile to each other. It is normally, certain individuals with government who believe hat the best way to discredit the issues that the union wishes to achieve is to resort to political warfare.”
