With various stakeholders now feeling the impact of water supply disruptions linked to a National Water Commission (NWC) worker’s strike, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has been instructed to mobilise its team of civil engineers to restore the nation’s water supply.

Reports are that some 2,000 NWC workers on Tuesday (May 10) took industrial action to protest the ongoing public sector compensation review as well as an outstanding reclassification exercise.

In response to the industrial action, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on Tuesday afternoon convened a meeting with key players at the NWC and union representatives, with hopes to resolve the dispute.

In a release from the ministry last evening, however, it was noted that “after ten hours of continued conciliatory negotiations” the dispute remains “unsettled and unresolved”.

With day two of the strike now ongoing, it is unclear how much longer the action will last, but the workers have indicated that they will continue to protest until the government responds to their concerns about a workers’ reclassification exercise.

While negotiations to quickly resolve the matter are ongoing, de facto Information Minister Robert Nesta Morgan today confirmed that the JDF has been mobilised to support the NWC in restoring critical supplies to facilities such as hospitals, schools and essential services.

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