Labour leaders vow to shut down T&T in general strike

Labour unions are threatening a general strike to shut down the country. The President General of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union, Ancil Roget, said the unions are yet to set a date, adding that it could be a one day general strike or a shutdown lasting several days. He said it would come "like a thief in the night".

They made the threats on Sunday at Labour Day celebrations at Charlie King Junction in Fyzabad.

The strike is one of several initiatives to force the government to change its position on dealings with the labour unions. Among their plans is a mass demonstration outside the office of the prime minister on July 7. They plan to follow this with workplace shutdowns along with a series of protest demonstrations during August.

The unions are demanding that government remove the five per cent ceiling on wage offers and disband the Inter Ministerial Committee which replaced the PNM’s Public Service Negotiating Committee.

Their other demands are: 

• Government immediately place labour legislation high on its legislative agenda
• Immediately implement a process for constitutional reform
• Government immediately implement labour market survey in the TTUTA negotiation
• Government immediately commence process for the development of a land use and agricultural policy
• Reinstate all workers who have been displaced though no fault of their own
• Restructure and the review of the national youth policy

Several trade union leaders signed a Labour Day Accord on the same location where the the People’s Partnership signed the Fyzabad Declaration just over one year ago.

This year labour leaders refused to invite politicians to attend celebrations in Fyzabad although they made an exception with some of them who have had long standing ties to labour.

Last year Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and several cabinet ministers took part in the march, holding hands in solidarity with the labour movement.

However the unions say they are disenchanted with the government, claiming that the People's Partnership is not treating workers fairly and with respect.