Burke: Grenada PM has ‘bad spirit’ towards unions

The prime minister of Grenada is hostile towards trade unions, especially the Public Workers Union, according to National Democratic Congress leader Nazim Burke.

The politician – whose party have no seats in the House of Representatives but act as opposition in the Senate – said that “disparaging comments” from Prime Minister Keith Mitchell continues to alienate the workers.

WIC News reported last week that Mitchell, although unhappy with some union heads, praised the role of trade unions in Grenada’s economy.

His government continues to disagree with unions after months of negotiations over a second one-off payment to public sector workers.

Earlier this year, the government paid $1,000 to each public officer – an amount they said was $7.2 million from state coffers.

The latest offer was $650 to each worker, which has been rejected. Anything more could break fiscal responsibility laws and cause the country to go “backwards”, Mitchell added.

Burke, speaking via telephone to a WIC News reporter in Ireland, said: “In recent times he [Mitchell] has shown great hostility towards the unions, especially the Public Workers Union.

“This is a pattern he has developed. He’s found all kinds of disparaging comments to make, on one occasion saying that they were extremely corrupt and that corruption in bureaucracy not among the politicians but was among the public servants.”

There is “no doubt” that the prime minister could make the payments if he wanted to, said Burke, but instead he had developed a “bad spirit towards the public workers and an element of hostility has set in”.

“He is unable, at this stage, to look at the situation objectively”

The senator said that a pay increase to the prime minister’s press secretary is among the issues that anger the unions, added Burke.

At the time, New National Party MP Brenda Hood said that the press secretary was worked at all hours and was “entitled to whatever she gets.”