Staff at the General Post Office located on lower High Street are back on the job after staging several weeks of industrial action due to deplorable working conditions.
Among the issues raised by the workers were concerns of the building’s air quality resulting from mould and a lingering musty odour.
Joan Peters, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA), told Observer recently that the government had met more than half of the union’s demands.
These demands included better working conditions, increased salaries, in addition to solutions to overcrowding and understaffing.
Peters said the staff returned to work in good faith, after having met with officials from the government, who promised to address the remainder of their issues.
Currently, the post office staff are working from 8 am until noon to facilitate the ongoing repair work to the building.
During the negotiations, the post office staff were represented by the Antigua Trades & Labour Union (AT&LU) and the ABPSA.
This period of industrial action, the latest in recent months, began on November 20 after most of the requests made by the unions on behalf of the workers were not met.
Peters had described the action as one where the workers had removed themselves from the work environment due health and safety concerns.
Over the years, the staff of the General Post Office have protested against unsatisfactory working conditions arising in the decades-old building.