JAMAICA-LABOUR-Light and power employees back to work

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - Employees of the light and power company, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) have returned to their jobs after industrial action plunged several parts of the country into darkness.

 

The workers returned to their jobs late on Sunday after an agreement had been reached during a meeting with Labour Minister Pearnel Charles, the JPS and trade union representatives.

 

More than 60,000 customers were left without electricity in some sections of the island after the JPS took precautionary measures and cut back on its output because of the strike, triggered by the company's decision to terminate the services of two teams of consultants working on a job evaluation and compensation review project .

 

The consultants had been engaged in the computation of amounts due to JPS employees for the period 2001 - 2007 under the reclassification exercise.

Meanwhile, a meeting is being planned for key stakeholders on Tuesday as they seek a permanent solution to the problem.

 

CMC/kb/pr/dmb/08