from their planned overtime ban because Government has shelved its plans to privatise the Devon Springs Recycling Centre, The Royal Gazette has learned.

It is understood that Government has offered the workers at the Devon Springs Plant $13 an hour, which is $2.91 short of the $15.91 the workers wanted.

The workers were paid $10 an hour to sort recyclables at the plant. But they have said they want their wages to be equal to sanitation labourers who are paid $16.71 an hour.

However, they also said if they were unsuccessful in their bid to have their wages raised to $16.71 per hour, they were prepared to settle for the wage paid to a light labourer which is $15.91.

Initially the workers put forward a motion which would ban all overtime for Works and Engineering employees at a meeting at BIU headquarters last May.

And there have been meetings held between representatives on the BIU and Government to iron out areas of disagreement.

Unionised Government workers met last night to discuss the overtime ban and to hear a report from the recycling plant workers.

But neither Union representative Kenyetta Young nor Works Minister Leonard Gibbons would comment on any aspect of the settlement when contacted last night.

The Royal Gazette has learned however that in addition to the $3 an hour increase in wages, the workers have also been given a measure of job security because privatisation plans have been put off.

The problems at the Recycling Plant centred around the future job prospects of 15 workers who were concerned that they may lose their jobs if Government's plan to privatise the plant went ahead.

In May, they attended a Government forum at St. Mark's Church hall and told the Premier of their concerns. They also invited him to tour the facility.

At the time Dr. Saul promised to look into the situation. The facility has undergone some improvements to the physical plant after a story in The Royal Gazette outlined a series of problems such as holes in the roof and a damaged front door through which thieves have entered the premises.

However, workers said that although there has been some progress as far as the physical plant is concerned, other more pressing matters have arisen.

Mr. Gibbons has said that privatisation is one of several issues being discussed with the union along with several other issues.

But the workers say privatisation is a backward step given that the recycling operations were initially private between 1992-1994, but Government took them back over.

GOVERNMENT GVT