OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 21ST
forty years of our Red, White and Black
Forty Days of celebrations costing $5m, $8m, even $10m, if such celebrations will be truly national in scope and perspective, could not by any stretch of our sometimes obscurantist psyche, be considered to be extravagant and too costly. After all, forty years of our Red, White and Black replacing the Union Jack and Forged From The Love of Liberty replacing God Save the Queen and Britannia Rule the Waves, are by themselves major achievements, all of our own negatives and myriad debilitating drawbacks notwithstanding. The fact is that we live in a troubled and more and more frightening environment and that Trinidad and Tobago has survived forty years and escaped the hell of insurrection, civil war and disease that afflict so many post colonial societies, justifies worthwhile celebration. One does not know, we may well have seen the last of the period of peaceful co-existence and inter-racial harmony and development as one people as mad and voracious men seek to grow partitions between us.
We have always had each other’s solidarity and made common cause in our struggles for the dignity of the individual and the interest of the family and country. Foolish and politically depraved men are changing that. And in their desperation they are oblivious, it seems, to the destruction that they are wreaking on the body politic. Just listen to any two of the less enlightened Radio Talk Shows and the platform rhetoric of a few leading politicians and you will get my drift. And quite often the agent provocateur politicians, in their obscene opportunism, claim a path that was pursued by Ghandi, Luther-King and Mandela. But neither the Mahatma, Martin nor Nelson had sought to create divisions among their peoples nor make any one group of them inferior to the other. They advanced that recognition should be determined by merit and the content of ones character, not the colour of his skin.
August 31, forty years ago, at midnight we lowered the Union Jack and simultaneously hoisted the National Flag of Trinidad and Tobago and sang for the first time ‘Here every Creed and Race find and equal place, And May God Bless Our Nation’. Then, we had nothing but a Trinbagonian and Caribbean Spirit, Calypso and Pan, Pagwah and Hosay and although in many respects different, we were together. On the other hand, all of the land, our material and natural sources, the Banks and Manufacturing were controlled and owned by the foreigners. So we have come a long way and even though there will continue the fight for an equal place for every Creed and Race, God has Blessed our Nation – there could be no doubt about that. Our abundant reserves of natural gas, condensate and oil, a most competitive manufacturing sector including Cement which pea brained politicians have conspired to give away, extensive land and marine resources crying out for development – are blessings of wealth which if distributed equitably would make us all a happier people.
Indeed, there is much to be thankful for and much to celebrate. And it must be no (1,000) party hacks from one constituency enjoying the spoils of office at the expense of the Exchequer. Let all of the people rejoice and make a loud noise on the high sounding cymbals, the Pan and the Stringed instruments. Let the People celebrate! There are problems – we know. There are money problems being faced by those without jobs, food and shelter. There are those too who have problems explaining how they came by the very large sums of money and are therefore being investigated by the authorities. In each area of national life and in many cases – individual and family life – there are problems but we still have much to be happy about we tackle the difficulties and human weaknesses.
At times like these one remembers some important attempts at forging a society and building a nation, as undeniably incomplete and lacking in sufficient philosophical content, as those attempts were later found out to be.
One particularly remembers the days of people oriented economic planning – the Five Year Development Programmes etc. In all of those there were important designs and approaches to Education, Skills Training and Human Development; the construction of social and physical infrastructure; land reform and utilization; resource identification and exploitation; Industrial Development with both state sector and Private Sector ownership compliments. But all that has changed since Planning – central or multisectored has been relegated by the new paradigmers to the era of the dinosaur.
Still, there is much to be appreciated. Let the celebrations begin.
The celebrations seem likely to include another attempt at convening the Parliament next Wednesday 28th August according to news just received. Let’s hope it works.
Have a great evening until Friday.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 16
“Every Cook can Govern"
We in the OWTU have raised issue with remuneration packages awarded some state enterprise executives and the hefty annual bonuses that they had been awarding themselves for at worst, non performance and at best, mediocre management. We never believed however, that the bonus packages ran into such large bounties. Its like I am hearing the scoundrels now as they sat opposite and argued against a decent pay rise for their employees. It was always, that margins were too narrow, production continued to decline, international prices were soft, operating expenses were too high and had set us in the lower fourth quartile of the competition, cost of sales and financing were throwing the original economics askew – all these and more were their anguished cries as they schemed to make life more and more difficult for the ordinary worker and stakeholder including permanent employees and temporary hands a few of whom are today being conned by other scoundrels and desperate ragamuffins, libeling and slandering for a vote to be somebody. If we read CLR James’ “Every Cook can Govern’, we will glean that it is not easy for any mentally diminutive and gumbo glece ragamuffin to come into the leadership of the OWTU. But that is an asside, which will be dealt with otherwise – let’s get back to the Bonus Bonanza as it is identified in the Express. We have had to fight each time that our bonuses became due in accordance with our Collective Agreements and in every instance the top management would have taken for themselves many many many times the aggregate entitlement to the worker, and this does not include the many means by which contributions to the Party and its operatives were conducted. OWTU SPEAKS wishes to remind of the reported $8m spent between the offices of a top Management Executive and non Executive Chairman of a highly featured State Enterprise over a short twelve-month period in very recent times. That $8m did not include remuneration expenses for any of the four Secretaries engaged in those two offices nor the elite security system that was installed. We are still asking what all that $8m was spent on in a scenario of such narrow operating margins. And who did the appraisals and performance assessments.
And in a same-industry, sister enterprise, there was neither CEO in charge nor security against wrong doing, as another mare or ewe of a rogue elephant installed herself as Executive Chairman and ran the business as though it was her personal and private property – three private secretaries, two personal assistants, a chauffeur on 24 hour duty, round the clock security and escort well – such other toppings that equate unfathomable bonus expenses.
All of these and many other alleged instances of malfeasance and other assails on state resources cry out for thorough investigation but it seems that those in charge are either afraid or just not up to the task.
They seem so timid that they even waste good time and resources to justify the granting of a Radio Licence. Fitzgerald Hinds’ Media Conference a couple days ago was not only totally unnecessary, it also made him and his people look clumsy and foolish.
Chambers was quietly the best strategist in dealing with his desperate opponents – he used to say he would fire only when he saw the white of their eyes.
There are many many matters about which the white of many eyes may be quite quickly seen – in almost every State Enterprise and the award of contracts and delivery of services – from road paving to the reactivation of oil operations. The malfeasant is still everywhere. We welcome the reinstatement of Republic Day among the calendar of Public Holidays.
And we wish a safe, peaceful and crime free weekend to all.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 12
we restate the battle
It has become necessary that we restate that the battle to save TCL – a small fish of a local and developing regional company – is really a battle to defend our local manufacturing, commercial and financial sectors, all small fish in the macro economic contexts, from the big sharks of the deep waters of the new globalize environment. This restatement has become necessary for two major reasons. The first is that the OWTU has angered some major businesses in Trinidad due to our intervention and successful blocking if the CEMEX Resolution to remove the 20% restriction in the TCL Articles of Continuance. Those businesses, which we angered, are up to today cussing us out for having prevented them for cashing in a fortune by the sale of their shares to CEMEX at $7.15 per share. Shares, which they were given with a hand shake at $0.75, $1.00 and $3.00 each. They would have made a killing; their grummy hands would have wallowed in millions of dollars at the expense of the national interest, the workers’ job security and the development of the regional capital market and the Caricom Single Market and Economy. Those businesses, which we denied, a quick buck is some of the institutional investors who, although a few, together with a couple of rich individuals hold a significant 25% or so of the TCL Shares. This lot has never; do not now and perhaps will never be concerned with the national interest.
They are not concerned about the future benefit to the small, ordinary shareholder. They claim that cement can always and be very easily imported into the country with themselves acting as Commission Agents. They are concerned first and foremost with their immediate bottom line – nothing else – and they engage everyday, in insider trading from their positions of interlocking directorships and intimate crony relationships with political directorates – whichever ones happen to be in power. Indeed there was talk about one of them benefiting to the extent of $73M some years back as a result of beforehand d knowledge of the then government’s decision to devalue and then float the $TT. And their position is always the same whether they deal in Motor Vehicles, Banking and Insurance or the Manufacture of Candy or methanol. And they feel even stranger when they have empty pocket political gamblers whom they control as minions.
This was the major reason that we had to battle with Company executives to instruct fiduciary managers of Pension Funds to vote in a manner consistent with the position of the beneficiaries of those Pension Fund Shareholdings in TCL. It was those Pension Plans and Credit Unions share holdings that saved TCL. Those were the votes that become critical to the TCL rescue, the NIB Vote went in support of CEMEX, the valiant attempt by the NATUC representatives notwithstanding.
The next reason for this restatement is to respond to the few depraved, miscreant opportunist and culturally corrupt party and union operatives whose business it has been to mislead and misinform workers and the public on the TCL/CEMEX issue and the role-played by the OWTU. Had the OWTU leadership shut down the TCL operations we would not have attracted shareholders support – instead we would have cut our own throats – much to the destructionist interest of some ragamuffins calling themselves TDM. Twelve Demised Minions.
We flexed our muscle only where it was necessary to show the Trust Companies that we meant business and of course where ordinary shareholder interest was not affected. The Union Branch Officers and workers at TCL understand this struggle and their own role in it and will not, we are sure, succumb to squandering the support and solidarity of oil elect and manufacturing workers even in an election year.
That is the real story from Paramount.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 09
'performance beats old talk any day'
Congratulations to Louis Lee Sing, Citadel and its entire staff on being granted a Licence to continue its operations. Congratulations to I 95.5 – the new band that will continue the work, which we had become accustomed to having on I 92.5. The OWTU Speaks continues then, on I 92.5 and we look forward to improvements in its programming and listener ship. And talking about Radio and Media generally, the OWTU continues to be opposed to any sale of divestment of the state owned TTT or the NBN Group. We are of course not satisfied with the performance and general state of affairs of that media group for a long time now. It has operated without balance and any semblance of an independent focus for a very long time and is no doubt now due for an overhaul and restructuring to bring about cost effectiveness and a balanced national development perspective. This I am sure, at least the process of it, can begin as speedily as Citadel’s application for a Broadcast Licence was processed.
When those other fellows were boasting of their management of national affairs and that ‘performance beats old talk any day’, there were many who were impressed and thought that at long last we were about to have good roads, get a regular supply of pipe borne water and realize marked improvements in health and medical services in Trinidad and Tobago. These did not happen but massive expenditures were incurred.
In other democratic societies – not dictatorships – man would be looking out behind bars already. But here, in this place where it seems you could be wrong and strong, where you could do crap and boast, - the law and rules of conduct are applied swiftly only when they affect the small man. It is in very rare circumstances – such as in the case of Dhanraj Singh – that the Sheriff is called to book, and quickly. The stable hand is always reminded of the effects of the hot poker. We looked and heard the response by former blue eyed Minister of Works and Infrastructure – another best Minister – to issues relating to his Road Paving Programme and found him foolish, puerile, unnecessarily boastful and damn disgusting. It was as if he is oblivious to the fact that Dhanraj was also blue eyed and a best Minister. The man broke the rules; it seems all of them, including Public Service Regulations and Central Tendering Procedures. And then he beats his kiskidee chest and boast that he will do it all over the same way if he were again appointed Minister of Works.
What brass-facedness! What insult to the intelligence of those who put people in government – the voters! It is infradig that decent people will put back in government those who allegedly facilitated the squandermania that took place, the cronyism, the thiefing and corruption in the award of contracts. It is a sin to think that people would risk the country’s affairs ever again in the hands of those whose performance was based on breaking the rules. But there are many with Pipe dreams even if there might be no water to chase the high fulutin scotch. And yet there are others who have difficulties with the apparent lack of readiness and maladroit nature of the ones now at the wicket.
Thank God is Friday.
A peaceful and crime free weekend is wished for all.
I am Errol Mc Leod for OWTU Speaks.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 05
“What is really going on here?”
Trinidad can quite easily be perceived by the uninformed and innocent by-stander to be in a state of war. And there is great fear that we may have even gone beyond the point of redemption.
Consider this day, a day on which we look at the country through the pages of the daily newspapers (I have not seen the WIRE). EXPRESS: Banner Headline – ‘Radio War’; GUARDIAN: Banner Headline – ‘Killing Spree’; NEWSDAY: Page 4 – This one takes the cake in my view – there are five stories that identify the murder, mayhem, madness and violence that have come to grip the society. ‘Murder rate surpasses last year’s,’ says one story as we are reminded that for the corresponding period last year, there were 77 murders, one less that this year. Of course when this story was written, one was likely unaware that the kidnapped Rampersad couple may have already been dead.
But this most recent kidnapping is the subject of one of the Newsday’s Page 4 stories. Another deals with the shooting of a Sea Lots man in the chest. Yet another deals with the multiple stabbing of a Chaguanas woman by an enraged and unrequited soldier lover. And yet another talks about the cops recovering several robbery items including cash and firearms. One asks, “what is really going on here?” And I feel certain that there is much more that the newspapers can tell if editors did not fear that they may be charged with sensationalism if not the libel when they go overboard sometimes. The bottom line is that this place is in serious crisis.
The saga of violence, criminal activity, kidnapping, murder and mayhem that now grips us, is challenged for top of the charts only by the unfolding saga of malfeasance, executive excesses and corruption by the former UNC administration. And one wonders – and this is said at great risks perhaps – one wonders whether there is a connection between the high incidence of criminal activity and the investigations into allegations of corruption with the former being highlighted to divert concentrated attention from the latter. And if that is so, then heaven help us because we have seen enough already to understand that the maladroitness of the Mook continues to give strength, time and space to the cunning of the Crook.
Our present situation calls for leadership that is informed, intelligent, courageous and encouraging and decisive. It must not now be developing a gait to the current beat of Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean politics. If you do not have it you will not get it. The situation demands leaders who are not afraid of losing leadership. It needs leadership, which is not intimidated by desperate calls to arms and primordial gangsterism. It needs and demands leadership that will repudiate any compromise of the law and legal procedures with any imminent electoral process. It calls for leadership which will not be shaken by the ulterior motives of those who cry before the fact that there are plans to persecute, prosecute and jail them.
Say what! It is more acceptable and decent to uphold the principles of justice, law and moral rectitude and lose the elections to the villainous that to consciously and cowardly allow the rampage of villains and still lose to them. Let the law serve it purposes inhibited. It if is true that political deals are being brokered and morality, good governance and the principles of justice will be abandoned totally, then all who have gone counter to the law whenever they may have should be released and compensated. And those who are innocent of wrong doing and those who have not been caught should each receive the value of their paved road and their per capita share of the treasury in Sterling or any other currency of their choice.
And if for our 40th Anniversary of Independence Celebrations later this month, we will remember Sniper and sing the Portrait of Trinidad, we may also be tempted to change up some of the lyrics to include ‘that it is the Crooks and Mooks in our politics that make it bad’.
Have a good evening!
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OWTU SPEAKS 2002 AUGUST 02
WE WISH NO FURTHER CONFUSION
We wish that there be no further confusion over the important questions surrounding the bid by CEMEX to acquire 100% of Trinidad Cement Limited subsidiaries.
We suggest that the relevant issues be not allowed to pale into insignificance because CEMEX will not go away quietly either. Let me state immediately that contrary to the Daily Express’s suggestion today, we have made no call for the nationalization of TCL. Neither the OWTU nor the Group of Independent Unions and NGO’s to which we belong has made any such call. We will not confuse state ownership with the principle of broad based local and regional peoples’ ownership and control of TCL. And further, we have not authorized anyone else to speak for us, as much as we welcome and appreciate all contributions and solidarity in the struggle to protect and promote our local and regional interests above those of foreign private capital.
Some 90% of the total number of TCL shareholders voted, either by proxy or by their attendance at last Monday’s Extraordinary General Meeting. The vote at the EGM was 67% in support of the Resolution and 33% against. The Resolution to remove the 20% ceiling on share ownership by any single investor needed a 75% Voter support to succeed. CEMEX’s 20% share holding meant that it had more than 20% of the Vote at the EGM. It is simple. Twenty (20) points in a total of ninety (90) represent more than twenty (20) points in a total of one hundred (100). So then in the sixty seven percent (67%) of the vote in support of the resolution, more that 20% was CEMEX voting for itself. If follows therefore that CEMEX had the support of less than 47% of the other shareholders i.e. – 67 minus 20. But of this 47%, just over 10 represented the shares held by the NIB. So, excluding CEMEX and NIB, fewer than 37% of TCL Shareholders supported CEMEX. The analysis therefore reveals that CEMEX had minority support. In fact, had the NIB voted in the interest of NIS contributors and beneficiaries, the vote at the EGM would have been over 43% against and less than 37% in support of CEMEX.
All of this notwithstanding, we will not fold our arms basking in a victory that could be short lived because CEMEX is not going away and is more than likely to behave like the wounded beast and we cannot afford to forget that CEMEX has the support of local comprador capitalists who have themselves bought the support of key government policy framers and decision makers.
The EXPRESS, which we consider to be more enlightened and objective than the rest, seems to have missed the point or misunderstood it all together. We do not propose to stifle economic growth. Indeed, ours is an unassailable pursuit of economic growth and social development. That is why we oppose a CEMEX takeover. CEMEX, by acquiring the remaining 80% of TCL shareholding by itself, will not contribute to our economic growth. And when it shuts in our operations after seizing our share of the market, will only exacerbate our social underdevelopment.
CEMEX will not expand plant capacity and modernize our Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica operations, it will not invest risk capital and will not trade on the local stock exchange. We wish that the defenders of CEMEX and neo-liberal globalisation will explain how Trinidad and Tobago and the region will benefit, how we will experience economic growth by the multinational takeover mechanism. Investments such as the Atlantic LNG trains, large petrochemical plants, new refineries and major deep water and onshore oil exploration and production are totally different propositions. They take more than the arm chair input of writing and printing a Newspaper.