By Robert Andre Emmanuel
For the second time in two months, workers at Antigua Masonry Products (AMP) resumed strike action yesterday, led by their bargaining agent, the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union.
This comes as negotiations between the union and company’s management have failed to reach an agreement for 2020-2023 and 2024-2026.
Samuel James, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union, spoke about the ongoing dispute, explaining that what the company was putting on the table was not acceptable to them.
“We have adjusted our position to what we think is a more reasonable position, but the parties have not been able to agree,” James stated.
For the 2020-2023 period, the union is demanding a salary adjustment of $25 per year—in addition to the $2000 retroactive payment proposed by the company—which James argued that this amounts to less than $0.50 per week.
“The company has now belatedly put on the table $10 per year, along with the $2000. We are saying $10 per year is really unacceptable,” he stated.
For the 2024-2026 period, the union has revised its initial demand from 5 percent per year to 3.5 percent per year. The company has offered 2.75percent, which the union still considers too low.
James said the union intends to maintain the industrial action until they have some resolution to the issues.
Regarding the number of workers involved, James stated: “It consists of approximately 65 [workers]. However, everybody may not be here because some persons might be on vacation now or out sick for whatever reason, but the operations are not going on because of the magnitude of the strike.”
This strike follows a previous action in July 2024, when workers protested over working conditions and wage negotiations.
