Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Labour calls SoE a failure, plans big demonstration for Friday

The trade union movement in Trinidad & Tobago had charged that one reason for declaring a state of emergency was to suppress labour and to prevent workers from demonstrating their frustrations.

Now that the emergency is over the trade unions are planning a big demonstration, which they say will be held on Friday.

Representatives of various unions have scheduled a media conference for Tuesday at which they will outline their plans.

Last month, the President General of the Oilfield Workers' Trade Union, Ancel Roget, threatened to use workers to bring down the government.

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...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."
Speaking with the media on Monday, Roget called the emergency a failure and added that the alleged plot against the life of the prime minister and three cabinet minister was a publicity stunt.

Roget reiterated his earlier charge that the emergency was declared to prevent trade unions from campaigning for just salaries and decent wage settlements.

He said the only people who believed the state of emergency was a success are Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and several members of “the cabal.” 

He pledged that workers will continue to have our street marches, meetings and will intensify their campaign.

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Jai & Sero

Jai & Sero

Our family at home in Toronto 2008

Our family at home in Toronto 2008
Amit, Heather, Fuzz, Aj, Jiv, Shiva, Rampa, Sero, Jai