Phillips laments ‘crisis’ in transport sector
Published:Wednesday | May 3, 2023 | 1:28 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
SHADOW MINISTER of Transport and Works Mikael Phillips has accused the Government of turning a blind eye to problems affecting the island’s transport sector, including recent strikes by bus operators and other employees of the Transport Authority.
During his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Phillips pointed to last Thursday’s strike action by bus drivers assigned to the Montego Bay Metro Company (MBMC) in St James, which followed contention over deductions from their salaries, as an example of issues in the sector which are not being adequately addressed.
“It is beyond me that, for over a week now, not one bus has rolled out of the depot at MBMC, where workers have been on strike. There are also concerns with the Port Security Corps; it has been 11 weeks now and workers have not been paid their allowances, or overtime owed to workers, plus there is a serious staff shortage, and you have workers having to leave Kingston to go to Montego Bay to fill vacancies,” said Phillips.
“There is also the issue of staff feeling disgruntled at the Transport Authority. The transport sector is in crisis, and we are seeing it, the people are seeing it, so why are you not seeing it? It needs leadership,” Phillips argued.
Last Thursday’s strike action at the MBMC follows previous industrial action in 2018, when unionised workers protested to press home their demands for better working conditions. At that time, they argued that they were not being paid on par with their counterparts in Kingston and that they were being asked to operate defective buses.
Regarding the Port Security Corps, port security officers assigned to the Sangster International Airport and the Montego Bay Freeport complained in April of last year that they were being forced to work overtime under poor working conditions, and with a lack of certainty about their remuneration.
Phillips also took issue with what he called the inadequate response to calls from residents of Troy district in his Manchester North Western constituency to repair the community’s bridge, which had collapsed in August 2021.
“I have been given a message by residents for the prime minister, (Andrew Holness). They say that you promised to visit the area last year to see their suffering first-hand and you still have not visited. They say when the bridge is completed, do not come to cut any ribbon and give the impression that you understood what they have been enduring for the past two years,” Phillips said.