The island’s largest public sector trade union is reporting an acute shortage of workers and evidence of staff burnout that’s spreading across Central Government.General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Richard Greene revealed on Friday that an example of the problem was manifested in Friday’s work stoppage by staff of the School Meals Department at the Harbour Industrial Estate in St Michael.Greene said the NUPW is keeping a close watch, not only on the situation at the School Meals Department, but on industrial relations developments across the public sector at this time.“The NUPW is monitoring the current industrial relations climate, especially relative to the work stoppage at the School Meals at the Harbour Estate. We recognise that there is an acute shortage of staff at a number of Government departments,” the union leader told Barbados TODAY.“I can’t say what percentage of the service is affected, but what I can say is that it is at the point where it is causing some overwork and burnout of staff in the affected departments,” he disclosed.Greene said the problem, which appears to be growing, is resulting in absenteeism as well.
