PASSPORT, the Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) said on Friday that its management team is in dialogue with staff regarding their concerns about some aspects of the Government’s compensation restructuring programme.

The agency made the disclosure in a press release, in response to a report on Friday The Gleaner newspaper that workers are unhappy with the reclassification and are considering industrial action.

According to The Gleanerworkers were unhappy after receiving their October pay this week and learning that junior and senior employees in various departments had been “lumped together and placed at the same level, on the same scale, regardless of qualifications, seniority and performance”.

The newspaper reported that a staff member said they are calling on the Prime Minister and the Department of National Security to intervene.

“We will do everything that is legal, and if the Transformation Implementation Union in the Ministry of Finance does not meet the union to restore what was done, we will definitely go on strike.”
The Gleaner quoted the employee.

In its release on Friday, PICA said it is also in discussion with relevant ministries and unions on the matter, and “all stakeholders are working diligently to address the remaining issues in the shortest possible time”.

The agency also thanked staff “for their continued patience and professionalism”.