Headlines:
| JUTC wants for 400 drivers |
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| Sunday, 08 June 2008 | |
Days after it announced plans to send home scores of
workers, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) is advertising for hundreds
of new bus drivers.In advertisements in the press on Sunday, the state run bus company posted want ads for 400 drivers. The advertisements come less than a day after JUTC workers agreed to resume duties after two days of strike action. The workers were upset because over 250 employees including drivers were being laid off. But Communications Manager at the Ministry of Transport, Reginald Allen has insisted that advertising for new drivers is a bid by the JUTC to streamline operations and cut losses. He said there were few drivers among the JUTC workers whose posts are to be made redundant. "Those were not active drivers in terms of the actual physical passenger network. The JUTC is converting its units to single operator units, meaning a driver does it all and in essence the CSA's or conductors and conductresses are being phased out. 
Some 400 hundred CSA's are to be made redundant over time
and the same number of drivers are being (hired) because the bus fleet over
time has been consistently beefed up," said Mr. Allen.On Friday, more than 200 JUTC workers including drivers took strike action after they were told they would be sent home. Normality returned Sunday after several lengthy meetings between the JUTC and unions representing workers. The parties have agreed to meet again on Wednesday for further talks. Mr. Allen said there are several issues still left to be ironed out between the unions and the management of the JUTC. He said discussions will also be held to examine the possibility of some of the affected workers being processed to see if they would qualify to be placed on the overseas employment programme. |