Antigua workers protest for back pay

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua: About 80 Antiguan public workers picketed outside Parliament yesterday, demanding back pay and got action. Prime Minister Lester Bird reportedly presented a check for some of the money owed after criticizing the employees for protesting publicly about not having been paid for a month.

Mr. Bird reportedly gave union officials a check for US$18,500 to cover one week's wages for more than 1,000 public works employees and said payments for other state employees, including postal workers, nurses and police officers, would come next week, AP reports indicate.

"I'm a little bit chagrined to know that the workers are out there marching after all that I've been doing to keep the workers employed," Mr. Bird was quoted as saying, adding that the pressure is on from the International Monetary Fund for the government to lay off 4,000 state workers.

The government is Antigua's largest employer, with 12,000 workers accounting for more than three-fourths of Antigua's EC$627 million (US$235 million) budget.

  Back...

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version