By Elesha George
The CIBC First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) was severely understaffed on Friday after about a dozen of its employees remained off the job.
Staff at the bank’s only operational branch on Old Parham Road decided to seek counsel with their union – the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) to attempt to discuss a less than satisfactory salary increase offer.
“The staff are extremely challenged by the bank’s offer of a 2.5% increase over a three-year period commencing with a salary freeze in the first year of the contract, although the bank would have made a profit,” the union posted to its Facebook page, where it tagged a number of media houses.
According to the union, staff are also dissatisfied with the manner in which the bank has been addressing other key employment concerns. It however did not say what those concerns were.
When Observer visited Freedom Hall on Friday morning, General Secretary of the union, David Massiah, and his deputy, Chester Hughes, as well as the shop steward for the local bank branch, were waiting to speak to the bank’s regional managementteam.
They remained in that meeting for several hours. Negotiations are expected to continue.
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