SAINT MARTIN: Réaction du Président Frantz Gumbs, liée aux protestations d’employés de la CTOS

Mr le Président Frantz Gumbs

Mr le Président Frantz Gumbs, réagi aux protestations des employés de la CTOS:Le Président fait en outre savoir qu’en cas de blocage de la Cuisine centrale demain, par ces mêmes employés, des collations seront distribuées aux élèves. 

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  “For your complete information, Please find here after, for your complete information, the result of the interview given to SMN-NEWS, by local representatives of UGTG (Union Générale des Travailleurs de Guadeloupe), concerning the “social unease” expressed by those “workers”, around, among other issues, the opening of the new “cuisine centrale”, in Grand-Case.I whish to give you my assessment, some facts and my comments on this situation. I am extremely surprised at the account that is rendered of the situation at the new central kitchen in Grand-case. The qualification of inhumane working conditions seems to me far from any reality.It is a fact that there was an incident during which two workers received electrical shocks from appliances in the kitchen, but it is totally and evidently false to say that authorities “refused to fix the problem thus far”. The workers concerned by the incident did not request any help from the union.

The incident was dealt with adequately by management and the incident is considered a closed case. Those that came to work at 3 or 4 in the morning can attest to the fact that they volunteered to come to work at those early hours in the morning, out of love of the job and concern for the children who expected to be fed.  Management at no time requested workers to come in earlier.I also totally deny that there was any “gas leak”. Fact is that the equipment in the new kitchen has a security system that shuts it down as soon as the pressure is too low. The problem is been dealt with by the company who has built the equipment. The involvement of the Union cannot fix the problem. The authorities has the legal and moral obligation to fix it and will do so. It is not the documents that are requested by the union that could have avoided any incident.The information given by the representatives of the Union is therefore totally misleading.Some facts :On Monday September 12th, around 8.30, I was informed that representatives of local UGTG was waiting, expecting to meet the President, without any prior notice. The Union also requested the presence of president of CTOS. When asked the purpose of the request, the answer was, if I understood well, “the protocol” of accord signed in October 2010.Considering the fact that no meeting was requested in advance and that I had other engagements that morning, I propose to meet the same afternoon at 2.30.It is important to note that those representatives did not make any prior formal request for any meeting and that they did not request any authorisation to leave their work positions. At that time and for that day they are to be considered as having  abandoned their work positions.Nevertheless, we did go over some points of grievances, in the presence of the president of the CTOS. At the end of these exchanges we agreed that we would meet by the end of the same week to go over the “Protocol d’Accord” of October 2010. The Union requested the presence of both Presidents. A rendez vous was set for Friday 16th at 11 o clock.I was informed early that friday morning that the representatives of UGTG, together with the membership of the UNION was at the Collectivité waiting… Around 11 am, the local leader of the Union informed me that the representatives, together with the membership expected me in the legislative room. I refused to meet the representatives in the presence of their membership, because,1 – Neither representatives nor members of the union had requested authorisation to leave their work positions2 – Members of the Union present could not be on a legal strike since no prior notice was given of any strike, so therefore they where in an “abandon de poste

situation”3 – My whish and sincere intention, was to meet the representatives of the personnel, to go over the “accord”. I could not understand the necessity of the presence of the membership of the Union, unless that membership did not trust their representatives. Or is it the belief that “physical pressure” was the key to success of any talks. The new kitchen is a modern tool that naturally takes a few days to be up and running normally. There is no means that such a complex tool could work perfectly from the first day. Most of the cooks do understand that.The issue of workers being displaced has nothing illegal in it. The president has all rights to reorganise the services of the collectivité. The workers concerned where proposed new positions. Some of them have adopted an attitude of systematic refusal for reasons that are not clear to me.I am willing to receive the representatives of the Union at any time to go over the protocol of accord of October 2010. No strike is justified at this point in time. Note: Monday September 19th, The new kitchen is blocked by protesters. Il will not sit in those conditions. Frantz GUMBS “

Richard Malvasio  – Collaborateur de Cabinet du Président

Collectivité de Saint-Martin

Immeuble Coin de la mairie, Marigot

97150 – Saint-Martin FWI

Tél : 0590-29-56-60

Cel : 0690-220-337

Fax : 0590-29-52-45

Email1 : rmalvasio@hotmail.com

Email2 : Richard.MALVASIO@com-saint-martin.fr