By Tahna Weston
The leader of a local union says young workers who claim they are underpaid are likely not represented by a union.
Kem Riley, president of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU), said the body ensures that those it represents are subject to an agreed salary scale at their workplace.
According to Riley, what would normally happen is that the company would send out a salary scale to the union, which is then looked over and adjustments made so that workers are treated fairly.
He said the union, through a collective bargaining agreement, also tries to ensure that a salary scale is included for the category of workers it represents. Riley noted that with a salary scale the employer cannot pay less than what is stated.
“I would think the undercompensated comes from where there is no union, because where you have unions you have salary scales or salary range, and I would believe that sometimes a lot of the senior employees feel a kind of way when young workers come in and (are) working for the same salary as them,” Riley said.
“So I am never of the view that because you are there for 10 years that you would be entitled to a higher pay, because it’s the job and everybody should be performing with regards to the job. I think where you have these anomalies is where there is no union in the workplace,” Riley said.
Riley agreed that some young employees tend to believe that they are not properly compensated because they are doing the same job as the seasoned workers but are not making the same money.
He said the union has been addressing this issue in negotiations by putting a range of pay and salary scales in place. However, he noted that the union cannot control companies where the employees are not unionised.
“It’s a two-fold situation because you have the senior people who think – and this is the argument of the young worker – that they (younger workers) should not be getting the same like them.
“The union as long as it is doing negotiations, we have a salary range and in some instances we have that whether you are senior this is the range of pay,” Riley said.
Asked how a balance can be struck with regards to years of service as opposed to being qualified, the ABWU president said an argument can be made for both.
However, Riley said that years of service are considered qualifications too.
“Because you have the newer people who have been able to go to university and come back and you know they view it, that because they have the qualification they should get a better compensation. But I would say again that when you have a salary scale in place you could have up to a Master’s that is the rate of pay that the employer is looking to hire you at.
“So, yes, younger people at this point in time are getting more qualified – having the subjects and even when you look at our view that years of service is a qualification too – it’s also certification because I have been on the job, so I know the job much better even though you are coming in with your knowledge, (and) you have not really performed the job,” Riley said.
He explained that instead of workers declining an offer which is not in line with their qualifications and opting for something that is, they usually take a job and then complain because they are not satisfied with the rate of pay.
He said in actuality employees don’t go through much pre-employment discussion since many truly are in need of a job.
Riley opined that employees coming into the workforce with the necessary qualifications should negotiate with the employer during the interview process as to their preferred rate of pay.