Industrial tensions escalate in St Lucia

CANA Online, 22 September 2000

Castries, St. Lucia, CANA - Teachers, nurses and farmers are on a collision course with the St. Lucia government over pay and conditions of work. Earlier this week the St. Lucia Teachers Union and farmers across the island warned of industrial protest over government's respective plans to extend the school term and increase a crop protection levy from three to four and a half cents. And the St. Lucia Nurses Association Thursday also threatened to protest a resurgence of the unsettled problem related to the absence of security at the island's mental hospital. The issue which provoked a sick out among nurses at both hospitals some weeks ago has resurfaced following the beating this week of two members of staff at the hands of a patient.