PRESS RELEASE – THE Management of Cable & Wireless St. Lucia Limited, trading as Flow, and the National Workers Union (NWU) recently concluded a three-year retroactive collective bargaining agreement that will benefit the company’s employees.
Covering April 2015 to March 2017, and April 2017 to March 2018, the agreement provides for a 1.5% increase in basic pay and lump sum payments which amount to an overall 7% financial benefit to employees.
Under the terms of this deal, which builds on the previous collective agreement from 2012-2015, a number of clerical, technical, and other skilled employees will get a general wage increase and lump sum compensation payments. The agreement also includes social and economic benefits such as paternity leave, uniforms, overtime, payment for additional responsibilities, and travel allowances.
Chris Williams, Country Manager for Flow, has hailed the landmark agreement as a positive step in ensuring that workers are best prepared to provide excellent service to the company’s customers. He further acknowledged that there is still work to be done on the labour relations front with support from the colleagues and union partners.
“We are committed to performance,” said Williams. “We are constantly working towards giving our customers the best possible experience and great value across all four lines of business. An important part of that is making sure our colleagues are satisfied which is, of course, an ongoing process.
“Despite our challenging trading conditions and a harsh economic climate, Flow is committed to seeing to it that our employees are properly compensated. We are also committed to maintaining a strong working partnership with the NWU and our employees to make Flow a great place to work.”
The agreement was signed by representatives of Flow and the NWU at the company’s corporate headquarters in Corinth, and subsequently endorsed by the Labour Department.