fp Turks and Caicos

After two more days of strikes by hundreds of civil servants, the Turks and Caicos Islands government and workers have reached agreement on some demands, but neither side is saying it is enough to prevent further strikes.

With each side claiming the other hasn’t honoured requests for meetings to discuss grievances, workers struck Nov. 28 and 29, but most essential services were largely unaffected, especially at the Providenciales International Airport where droves of tourists are still flocking to this British overseas territory.

Government CEO Martin Stanley has said meetings would not take place while strikes were in progress, but both sides were unable to meet Nov. 30 because of “purely logistical reasons.” They are scheduled to meet Dec. 1.

Although His Excellency the Gov. Ric Todd has said he would meet with the CSA, he doesn’t think both sides are close enough to reaching an agreement for him to be of any help.

The Civil Service Association, which has accused the government of dragging its feet on assessing ministries to see where job cuts are necessary, and that replacing former CEO Mark Capes with Stanley in July further held up the process.

Stanley told the fp that he did not think the change has held up the process in which more than 80 percent of the jobs have been reviewed.
Yet another change is scheduled, with Stanley leaving his temporary post later this month to be replaced by Patrick Boyle on Jan. 3.

Trying to dig out of deep debt because of the slumping world economy and former elected government spending, the interim government headed by the U.K.-appointed governor is trying to reduce the ranks of civil servants whose pay consumes about 40 percent of government revenue.

An offer of a voluntary severance package is aimed at reducing the approximately 2,200 government workers by 300. More than 600 have filed offers of interest, but it won’t be known for some time how many will opt to take it.

At a press conference Nov. 30, Stanley said he believed that a number of CSA demands had been met on the severance offer, but remaining sticking points include pensions and gratuities.

Gratuities have allowed workers to get a percentage of their pensions in a lump sum payment upon retirement, reducing the monthly amounts they would receive after that. Government says that practice was not authorized by law, and even if it was, there isn’t enough money to pay all of them now.

The CSA argues that many people who banked on getting gratuities are now left without money to meet prior financial commitments.
Retiring workers employed before the National Insurance Board (NIB) pensions were created in 1992 are upset that they no longer can collect both prior government pensions and NIB pensions in full.

A government statement said some departments were operating with reduced staff numbers because of this week’s strike. The Ministry of Health reported that clinics and ambulance services were functioning, with adequate numbers of doctors, nurses and support staff.

Two primary schools were forced to suspend their infant classes, but the Department of Education confirmed that all primary and secondary schools were operational, although there were reports that a number of teachers were absent from at least one secondary school.

Photo: Gov. Ric Todd (left) and CEO Martin Stanley discuss the strike with the media. (Richard Green/Staff)