OWTU boss threatens massive demonstrations in campaign to topple PP government

The president general of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) wants to bring down the People's Partnership government.

And Ancel Roget is making no apology for holding that position. He said over the weekend that it is the labour movement that put the government in office and pledged to withdraw that support when the time comes to vote again.

Roget was speaking at a meeting of the Joint Trade Union Movement in Point Fortin on Saturday.

The Express newspaper quoted Roget as saying: "Government will not be getting the labour movement's support. 

"They have attacked the labour movement and the workers of this country and have betrayed them and therefore we believe that a campaign must start highlighting all of these issues and if they think that means bringing them down, then so be it."

Roget reiterated comments he made before that the government declared the State of Emergency to block the campaign of the trade union movement for better wages and terms and conditions.

"The unions pledged their support to resist in whatever way necessary the imposition of the five per cent and we did say that the Government can take us to the courts and ask the courts to impose the unfair five per cent wage settlement on us. 

"But in the hearts and minds of the people of this country we are not taking that just like that, because there is a political price to be paid," Roget said.

"We will insist that they will not be returned to governance. They have betrayed the trust of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, we cannot support all of the nonsense."

Roget added, "They will pay the ultimate political price. If the SoE ends as planned on December 5, we want all who are affected by it individually to come out and join us in the largest protest march this country has ever seen.”