PRESS RELEASE – LAST Wednesday, the management of the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) and the Civil Service Association (CSA) concluded industrial negotiations for the triennium 2015-2017 with the official signing of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Employees will benefit from an upward wage adjustment of eight percent (8%), with six percent (6%) of the negotiated increase to be paid retroactively for the period August 2015 to June 2017 and the remaining two percent (2%) in 2018.
“We are extremely pleased with the conclusion of these negotiations. Despite the losses experienced during the period 2015 to 2016, we were able to sign off on an 8 % salary increase with associated fringe benefits,” said Jimmy Haynes, SRDF Executive Director.
Assistant General Secretary of the CSA, Mc Stephen Aubertin, lauded the SRDF for its commitment to seeing the negotiations completed in an amicable and cordial fashion. He further encouraged the management contingent to ensure that they actively live through the agreement to engender parity and avoid instances of misinterpretation.
Negotiations for the following triennium will commence in September 2018.
The SRDF is a non-profit company located in Soufriere. Its mandate is to undertake social, cultural, human resource, tourism and infrastructure development in the Soufriere area. The organization which was established in 1993 generates revenues from its operational sites: the Sulphur Springs Park, Gros Piton Nature Trail, Comfort Center, Soufriere jetties and 88.5 Soufriere FM.