The management of the National Insurance Board (NIB) has reportedly agreed to stick to an incentive plan designed to shave down its staff count.
This claim was made Thursday by Winston Moss, president of the Public Managers Union.
Mr. Moss said union executives met with management Wednesday and they reached an agreement on how best to move ahead with downsizing NIB. He said the benefits of early retirement will be the same for all employees and will not be based on age as he claimed management had suggested.
While managers were not available to comment to the press Thursday, Mr. Moss claimed that the decision by management to stick to the incentive programme agreed upon came after many weeks of industrial tensions.
He said NIB decided to introduce a Voluntary Early Retirement Package (VERP) as a result of a manpower study that was done by the Hay Group of Atlanta.
Mr. Moss also told reporters the package was designed to incrementally reduce staff over a two and half year period, which began July 2004 through December 2006. He said management informed that the desired staff strength is 368 and at the time the number stood at 470.
The target group of persons who stood to get the early retirement packages are persons 55 years and over, with at least five years of pensionable service and employees with at least 30 years of service.
According to Mr. Moss, the Board proposed the incentive package to induce employees to voluntarily sever their services with the Board.
He also claimed that a number of employees who have made application for the package
had gone on early retirement leave, but have since been recalled, as management claimed the early retirement package for some persons had been withdrawn.
ﾓWhen we signed the agreement it wasnﾴt distinguished that everyone would not get the same benefits,ﾒ he said.
Mr. Moss asserted that managementﾴs actions had frustrated the early retires, caused great consternation to the corporationﾴs unions and in addition to violating the agreement on the package, have done untold damage to union/management relations.
He used the opportunity during his press conference on Thursday to push management to implement other recommendations made by the Hay Group, like putting in place better working conditions, carrying out a salary review and promotions based on productivity.
Yvette Rolle-Major, The Bahama Journal
