Minister for Employment, Jone Usamate says he is hoping that a solution is found today in relation to the ATS workers’ strike which has been declared unlawful by the Ministry.
Usamate says the discussions are continuing between the ATS management and the employees today and he will make further decisions after the meeting later today.
He is hoping that good sense will prevail.
There is still no confirmation on whether the 200 workers will return to work as their representatives, ATS Employees Trust have said that they will not sign the letters and give it to the management.
Secretary of the ATS Employees Trust or ATSET, Vili Finau says the trustees met Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who they are calling the purported ATS Chairman, on Monday night in order to discuss and resolve the impasse.
Finau says that after discussing Sayed-Khaiyum’s proposal, the workers have demanded that they return to work without condition and without prejudice to their hours of work and salaries.
He says they are also calling for the lock‑out to be lifted and all staff return to work effective immediately.
Finau says that they have reminded Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and confirmed that the 200 ATS workers are not on strike.
He says they have been locked out and are waiting at the gate to return to work.
Sayed-Khaiyum says he had spoken to the striking workers that they can come back if they sign the letters saying that they had made a mistake when they left their workstations during working hours to attend a shareholders meeting on Saturday and they also give the management the right to take disciplinary action if they may wish to do so.
He says they need the signed letters from the striking workers as ATS would not want to have another walkout.
ATS has a total workforce of 640 and about 200 workers are still outside the premises.
