The island’s largest public sector trade union is proposing an expansion of the essential items that are eligible for a price cap under any new compact arrangement between government and the business community.The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) said on Thursday that it supports in principle an extension of the social compact that expired on Tuesday where more than 40 specially-selected items sold by supermarkets were reduced in price. It however suggests that other essential products should be added this time around.“Of course, we would like to see an expansion of it... expansion in the sense of goods that are listed and for continuous assessment for areas where price reductions can be extended on what we would consider essential items.“There is still room for expansion of what could be termed essential items,” general secretary of the NUPW Richard Greene told Barbados TODAY.On Tuesday, the day the compact was scheduled to expire, government and retailers continued to explore a possible extension of the deal beyond the original January 31 deadline.
