Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
PANCHO
RACEHORSE GROOMS at Caymanas Park have intensified their efforts to secure a pay hike.
Last Friday, president of the Grooms Association of Jamaica, Paul Pancho, sent a letter on behalf of the association to State Minister for Finance, Fitz Jackson, seeking his intervention in the pay dispute.
The grooms are seeking an increase of $3,720 for the first horse, up from $1,500, and $1,488 or 40 per cent of the first figure for each additional horse.
President of the Jamaica Racehorse Trainers Association (JRTA), Vin Edwards, said they are unable to meet the grooms' demands without a substantial pay increase from Caymanas Track Limited (CTL).
IMPACT OF TAX
But the promoting company is claiming that it is unable to increase purses at the present time due largely to the imposition of a three per cent added tax on gross sales by government late last year.
Pancho said since a meeting on February 10 involving himself, representatives of the owners and trainers associations and CTL chairman, William Chin-See, the problem is still to be addressed.
Following that meeting, Chin-See wrote to Minister Jackson calling for an industry-wide meeting to discuss the issues but, to date, Pancho said the minister has not responded.
GROOMS RESTIVE
The grooms, having rejected 20 per cent, were asked to hold strain until it was explained to the minister the negative impact of the added tax on gross sales.
In light of this, Pancho said his letter on April 7 was not only to update the minister on the status of the negotiations but calling on him to convene a meeting with them by Friday, April 21.
"We would like closure on our negotiations by the end of April," he said. "If this is not forthcoming, I would have to go back to our membership to plan our next move. Grooms are extremely restive over the salary issue and anything could happen after April 30," he warned.
Pancho, who was elected president on January 5, replacing Fabian White, said grooms last received a pay increase in December 2003.
Significantly, jockeys received a 150 per cent pay increase effective March 1.
