A further effort is to be made next week to break a deadlock in talks between the Sanitation Service Authority and the National Union of Public Workers, over the state agency’s plans to eliminate overtime for weekend work.

Since last year the SSA has been trying to persuade its workers, through their representative the NUPW, to accept  a change in working conditions that would see them rostered to work any five of seven days, rather being paid extra if they have to collect garbage on Saturday’s and Sunday’s.

It’s part of government’s overall efforts to restructure operations in its various departments and statutory corporations to make them more efficient and cost-effective….but so far the SSA workers have been reluctant to accept the proposed change in working terms and conditions.

The latest round of talks was held on Tuesday this week and while the NUPW’s acting general secretary Delcia Burke, says the union wants to speak to their full membership at the SSA before disclosing the outcome of those talks, Starcom Network News understands that the position of the workers and their union remains virtually unchanged, they want their overtime.

Miss Burke did tell Starcom Network News the next step is to update the SSA workers on the status of the talks.

The NUPW’s acting general secretary Delcia Burke.