Monday, April 9, 2012

PP leaders have to deal with COP, MSJ issues

The leaders of the Congress of the People meet this week to try to settle the Coudray matter, which has angered the Congress of the People (COP).

COP leader Prakash Ramadhar is returning home from his vacation in Florida to attend the meeting. He has expressed optimism that the third round of talks on the matter will find a solution to the problem.

COP's position is that the Mayor of San Fernando should be fired and replaced with a COP nominee. 


The party is annoyed because Marlene Coudray, who was proposed for the major's job by the United National Congress (UNC), has left COP and is now a member of the UNC. The matter has become even more complicated because Coudray was elected on March 24 as one of the UNC's three deputy leaders.

COP initially threatened to leave the partnership unless the matter was resolved to its satisfaction. Two meetings have so far failed to end the impasse. A third is scheduled for this week, before Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar leaves for Colombia to attend the 6th Summit of the Americas.

The COP issue is one of two engaging the attention of the five leaders. 



The other is a set of 10 demands by the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ). The MSJ wants the partnership to resolve these issues before May 24, the second anniversary of the PP's victory at the polls.

The 10 issues as outlined by the MSJ are:

  1. Settlement of negotiations in a fair and equitable manner consistent with the free collective bargaining process
  2. Fair share of State resources to communities and the equitable distribution of jobs
  3. Reduced rights of land tenure and massive increase of lease rates to farmers without consultation
  4. Governance: process of constitution reform and local government reform, addressing state sector governance, cutting all forms of discrimination, political victimisation, corruption, nepotism and patronage
  5. Getting rid of the odious system of contract labour in the public service and state sectors
  6. Privatisation, especially of Petrotrin (Trinmar’s acreage) and First Citizens
  7. Advancing the agenda of Labour Law reform
  8. The protection of the livelihoods of fisherfolk
  9. Implementing the cultural sector agenda, as committed to in the manifesto
  10. Establishing a policy position so as to stop the use of force by the Police Service to frustrate, intimidate and stop the legitimate and peaceful activities of civil society, including peaceful protest action by workers and the rights of the media

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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