OWTU SPEAKS 2006-07-06

Good evening and welcome to OWTU Speaks.  There must be a sense of outrage – disgust – over recent reports of pedophilia becoming a too-regular occurrence in the nation’s Junior school rooms.  Once is too much too often.  What may have once been an isolated case of sickness seems now to be a disease taking on epidemic proportions.  A people centered and future driven society cannot – must not – allow that unhealthy ands criminal condition to propagate.

 

Nobody knows whom we must trust anymore.  Little children used to have parents, ones who went beyond being mere biological mothers and fathers; they had guardians – guardians in every meaning and sense of the word; they had teachers – ones who combined parenthood and guardianship in their teaching and moulding of the minds of their charges – and for which, up to today, they are inadequately compensated and recognized.  Now, today, we breed morons in the homes as we encourage beasts in the class rooms.

 

If recent reports are true and stories can be corroborated, the sex pervert teacher as reported in the news yesterday and today must be apprehended and charged.  And all those other ones – albethey few – who have had their transgressions kept quiet – should be exposed and dealt with.  Systems and institutions are crumbling all around us – it is time to arrest the decline and clean up the place.

 

The central pedophile, if he is guilty and has not yet hung himself, should be caught and appropriately ripped in the bud-no pun intended.

 

And talking about nipping things in the bud – what exactly was Minister Enill suggesting as government measures to deal with spiraling food prices? Not only have Mr. Enill and his government failed to nip price gourging and profit raking in the bud, they have consciously and deliberately facilitated the overtaking of middle and lower income wages by the open-sesame-free market system of runaway prices especially for food, agriculture and every day necessary services such as health.  So long as local food and agriculture are abandoned by government, is so long that we will pay higher prices and expend energy generated foreign reserves on imports.  While money continues to be no problem for a spendthrift government, and economic growth is confused with, and mistaken for development; and multistoried edifices and constructed to adorn our foreshore and skyline; and Ministers and parliamentarians are fixed up with their large 50% Salary and perquisite increase; and state enterprise and public sector employees are having their old wages and salaries controlled below 10% adjustments, prices continue to be uncapped and headed for the ceiling.  Conrade Enill and his arrogant and dictatorial government leadership must know that nobody will be fooled by his uninformed and idle election platitudes.  We know that oil workers – the backbone of national breadwinning, will not accept the inequity that is being dispensed in so far as wealth and income distribution is concerned.  We will accept no less than our equitable share of the bread that we have brought to the table.  And we speak here for many more than ourselves.

 

And if our collective.

 

OWTU SPEAKS 2006 – 07-10

 

Good evening and welcome to OWTU Speaks!  The happenings on the field and the outcome of that final game yesterday, obliterated much of the glass on France’s football;; and, in my mind, emphasized even more than before, the tremendously high regard in which all Trinbagonians should hold our Soca Warriors for the invaluable service which they did for Trinidad and Tobago, and the high ambassadorial excellence with which they distinguished and acquitted themselves.  In Berlin yesterday, France lost twice – even more perhaps.  Before the match, it would have been reasonable to assume that what Zenadine may have lost by a deeply receded hairline may have been compensated for with a cool and level head tempered by experience, responsibility and helmsmanship.  Zidane is no green horn, he was not new to fame –and maybe even fortune yesterday.  What ever the provocation – if at all there was any – the butt on Marco Materazzi, so deliberately and contemplately executed by Zidane cannot be justified and will not be excused.

 

Not because the French and Italians are touted to be the world’s most liberal romancers should there be butting and giving head on the football field.  Zinadine’s behaviour was inappropriate and reprehensible.  He lost marks, shamed his country and disappointed the many youngsters the world over, who took him to be their hero and whom they must have wished to emulate.  It is hoped FIFA will not let that incident pass as any ordinary foul warranting the red card.  The matter demands a thorough investigation and the award of penalty as fitting, appropriate and jurisdictional.

 

When Zenadine scored his last goal yesterday, he confirmed his celestial positioning as a star shooter in the world of football. When he however, dropped head – and that was no ordinary coconut – on Marco, he signaled his descent as a falling star from the international arena of respected and highly acclaimed sportsmen.  Long live football!  Long live the Soca Warriors of 2006!  Forward to stellar performances in South Africa in 2010!

 

Let us all have a good evening and a peaceful and productive week!

 

Look out for the children, Save the Youth, respect and honour the elderly.

 

I am Errol Mc Leod for the OWTU Speaks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS 2006 07-12

 

 

The injuries caused to some 21 workers earlier today were certain to happen because a safe and secure work environment and sound procedures have not yet received the importance, priority and seriousness that they require.  We continue to insist that accidents do not just happen, they are caused.

 

Scaffolding, if their structures and construction have integrity, do not just collapse except by extra ordinary forces such as perhaps an earthquake or serve storm force winds.  Such conditions did not exist this morning.  What was the cause of the collapse?  What were the contributory factors to the accident occurring.  What monitoring mechanisms were there to have prevented those factors from existing?

 

Where does the OSHA have to do with these?  How is OSHA to be enforced?  Who must take final responsibility for work related accidents taking place?  We must insist that the worker whose life and limb are at stake has as his first responsibility – to protect his life and limb and those of his colleagues – if it takes him the whole day to properly assure his own health and safety, he must do that – because it seems that nobody else cares – not employer, not government Minister.  The authorities emphasize productivity without seeing the absolute necessity for proper safety and health standards and the appropriate enforcement and monitoring mechanisms.

 

We insist that workers must take their lives and limbs into their own hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS 2006 07 19

 

It is only a colossal clown or an imbecilic moron who would gleefully beam his asininity perched on a steel beam however high above ground at the Wrightson Road construction site of the Government’s new car park – see page 4 of today’s Express newspaper.

 

Good evening Trinidad and Tobago and welcome to OWTU Speaks!  We have listened very carefully to all that the prattlers and pundits have had to say following the most recent industrial accidents at Powergen, Penal and at the new Customs building in Port of Spain.  Our own comments were that accidents do not just happen – they are caused – they are caused by failures of one kind or another.  We did not start out by pointing fingers at anyone or anything as to do so, could create a fixation which might allow the cause to elude you.  We decided to wait for the findings of the investigation.  We continue to wait and we listen for and hear all the experts, the pundits, “the relate and cite-me’s”, the bush lawyers and prattlers.

 

We paid particular attention to Emile Elias’s prattle and we were not surprised at his attempt to canonize a Construction Company whose organization, management systems and management/worker relationships have hardly ever earned one decent and favourable comment.  We were not surprised either that Elias would, without through investigation of the cause of the collapse of his scaffolding, suggest culpability of his workers and even imply the possibility of sabotage.  Surely, if he were not known to have consistently won Multi-million dollar building construction contracts, we would classify Elias as a Madman.  Indeed, you examine his countenance and evaluate his manner of speech and you are likely to question whether he is playing with a full deck.

 

We or course have our own suspicions as to the conditions which caused the collapse of so many flights scaffolding at the Customs project one week ago.  Those suspicions are based on our knowledge of the cut throat hussle of the majority of contractors whose raison d’etre is ‘make money by any means necessary.’  Notwithstanding our suspicions as to the integrity of the scaffolding structures, the general conditions which existed and the safety management systems employed by those contractors, we await the findings of the investigation to identify cause and culprit.  We will engage in short cuts.  Short cut is often wrong cut and the cause of many an accident.

 

Workers must discharge their responsibility for their own safety and not be encouraged or intimidated by any employer to hustle into making errors.  Workers must aim to do the job the right way the first time.  Claim the right to be alive and healthy to be productive.  Insist on being familiar with the conditions existing in your work environment.  Check and check again without malingering to ensure the safety of our surroundings, equipment and tools, to ensure your best levels of human effort and productivity.  Make sure that all safety rules are fully established and known.  Know that it is an offence to break the rules.

 

Protect yourselves and work to rule.  If nobody else is serious about your Health, Safety and the Environment you would be as it is more than likely that it is your live and limb that are at stake.  Have a Good Evening! Please be safe on the Road, at home and at work.

 

I am Errol Mc Leod for OWTU Speaks!

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS 2006 07 31

 

Our Ancestors and the warrior slaves who broke their physical bonds for the freedom and peace of our people must be today crying tears of disgust that the wretchedness is not yet completely overthrown.

 

Good evening and welcome to OWTU Speaks and congratulations and best wishes particularly to our Afro-Trinbagonian Community on the commemoration of the Emancipation struggle – tomorrow August 1.

 

Over the weekend the OWTU held its 67th Annual Conference of Delegates, celebrated the 69th Anniversary of its existence – its birthday being July 25 – and launched an ambitious programme of activities to mark its 70th Anniversary year to July 25, 2007. Our Conference of Delegates was a resoundingly successful exercise.  Its Ceremonial opening on Friday evening saw our Paramount Building packed to capacity by the Union’s 273 accredited Delegates, many other Officers, Activists, Staff Members and tens of Distinguished Invitees and representatives of fraternal organizations and associations.  The Feature Address was delivered by former Ambassador/High Commissioner and Head of T & T’s Public Service, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General on Haitian Affairs and now Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of Transparency International – Mr. Reginald Dumas.  The theme of Mr. Dumas’ Address was ‘Institutions, Equity and Citizens’ Responsibility,’ a theme which was found to be most appropriate and timely in the circumstances now bedeviling Trinidad and Tobago.  Of course, our national institutions of Executive Authority and Justice were given special examination and treatment.  We feel indebted to Reggie Dumas for the important perspectives to which he opened our eyes on ‘Institutions, Equity and Citizens Responsibility.’

 

The closed sessions for the Statutory and General Business of the Conference were held on Saturday starting at 9.30 a.m. and concluding at 10.00 p.m.

 

The Delegates debated and unanimously adopted the Central Executive’s and general Council’s Report detailing all of the Union’s work and activities for the period June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2006.  The Conference also unanimously accepted the Audited Financial statement of Accounts – Income and Expenditure January 1 to December 31, 2005.

 

The External Auditor’s Report underlined the very good health of the Union and the sound fiscal discipline and resources management effected by the Central Executive and internal Administration of the organization.  The soundness of the OWTU is partly indicated in the strength of our Balance sheet which registers a growth to $27.2 M and an end of year 2005 I & E statement of $9.5 M and $7.6 m respectively resulting in a surplus from operations of $2.8 m which includes an appreciation in the Market Value of our Investments.

 

The recommended Budget of Income & Expenditure for 2007 January to December 31st with figures of $8.4m and $8.2 m respectively was also debated and unanimously approved.  The Conference of Delegates also examined the State of Industrial Relations and Wage & Salary Negotiations particularly at this time and resolved that all of our current and soon to commence Collective Bargaining Exercises will engage whatever resources and activities that are necessary, to be settled fairly and with Equity for All!

 

The OWTU wishes all a happy holiday as we commemorate Emancipation as was declared in 1838 and urge all brothers and sisters in the struggle to shake off the shackles that keep us bound mentally and embrace the freedom our forefathers so eagerly fought for.

 

I am Errol Mc Leod for the OWTU Speaks.