Trade unions give PM 2 weeks to agree to demand or face national strike

Trade unions handed an ultimatum to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar Thursday, giving her two weeks to remove the five per cent cap on wages, among other demands.

And they have threatened to shut down the country if she fails to respond.

OWTU President Ancil Roget warned: "As night follows day, if they do not resolve this issue, we can assure them that we are going to engage in a strike of mammoth proportions, a national strike in the likes of which this country has not seen in a very long time...

"We are now at a point of crisis and a point of action and, therefore, citizens of Trinidad and Tobago...do not blame the labour movement when there will be no water, when there will be no electricity, where there will be no transport, where workers can't go to work."

The labour leaders said they have decided not to hold any talks with Government Ministers and are demanding the intervention of Persad-Bissessar. "We are clear in our minds and nobody, no Bhoe Tewarie, no Government minister will stop us in our course to ensure that a proper resolution is reached," Roget added.

Union officials and their members marched from George V Park to deliver a letter outlining their demands, which had to be done across a barricade that was erected outside the PM's official residence in St Ann’s.

They waited for more than a half hour before delivering the letter to Gary Griffith, the PM's national security adviser.

OWTU President Ancel Roget said, "We entrust you with the timely and proper delivery of that document and the Prime Minister would find very interesting another attempt to starve off any type of national or industrial strike further."

The demands include:

• The removal of 5% wage cap and settlement of all outstanding negotiations 
• Disbanding and removal of the Inter-Ministerial Committee 
• Placement of labour legislation high on Government's agenda 
• Constitutional Reform and immediate implementation of the Labour Market Survey for TTUTA 
• Commencement of a land use and Agriculture Policy 
• Reinstatement of all displaced workers on account of the non-renewal of their contracts 
• Restricting of the Project Implementation Unit and review of the National Youth Policy