Big labour protest planned for Thursday

The big labour unions in Trinidad and Tobago are planning a massive protest for Thursday to protest what they say is a state of crisis in the country.

This is a followup to the declaration the unions signed on Labour Day in Fyzabad making demands on the People's partnership government.

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

The joint trade union group includes NATUC, OWTU, BIGWU, TTUTA and the CWU. They told reporters Monday they plan to "turn up the heat on Government" to press demands for scrapping the five per cent ceiling on wage increase cap.

OWTU President, Ancil Roget, said the labour movement will not allow Government to continue to show disregard workers.

Roget said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has reneged on her promises of placing workers at the centre of development.

He said the government's attitude has put labour in a position where it has to become more militant in order to get benefits for workers.

"The country will pay much more. I want to say today that all those detractors, fly-by night media house talk show hosts, those who are piloting and parroting positions for the Government, get ready for one of the roughest times this country has ever seen in its history," he warned.

NATUC Leader, Michael Annisette charged that workers losing jobs because of political discrimination. "The issue is bigger than all the unions. The issue is about workers' right to dignity, workers' right to humanity, workers' right to be respected, and workers' right to dignity. That is the issue," Annisette declared.