Letter: Who are the unions representing?

The more I hear anything from the trade unions about all their demands and struggles and nonsense, the more I have to wonder who the heck are they representing?!

They are supposedly struggling for higher wages and promising to shut down Trinidad and Tobago if their demands are not met. 

And I read a public comment recently by someone who very clearly illustrated the manner in which the unions are actually working against the national interest.

The unions want a shut down so that taxi drivers, vendors, doubles sellers, food sellers, small businesses, vegetable farmers and so on would actually have to bear with a day of no income. 

Is this the struggle in which they are engaged? Is this how much they supposedly care about people? That they would engage in action that would impact the most vulnerable in our society?

And at the same time, not a trade union leader is brave enough to engage in a conversation on productivity and how much the country will get out of increased wages. 

The days of free increases just because are gone. If you want more money, prove how you are going to produce more and contribute more to the economy!

We as a nation have to end this nonsense about 1970s union gun-talk in the 21st century. 

The unions have to understand that their permissiveness with the past Government is what brought Trinidad and Tobago to where it is today and demanding ALL today and ALL tomorrow is not going to work. 

Take some today, some tomorrow and do like the rest of us and be content with it.

I also want to add my voice to the many people who are putting a clear warning out to the unions. 

You have not been forgiven for what you did to this country with the NP fuel crisis. And we will not tolerate any move from any of you to make our challenging lives any harder!

Jason Dhanraj