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OWTU SPEAKS – 2007-05-02

 

Good evening and welcome to OWTU speaks!

 

Yes, in 2000 we established a Platform.  We had established what we called the ‘Integrity Platform’.  It was our own created platform, independent of the political parties and independent even of certain other Trade Unions.  We launched a campaign, not with candidates for any seat in the General Elections then, but a campaign of public education and information, advising the ordinary citizen as to his rights, civic duty and responsibility, the necessity that he protects his individual legitimate interest and by so doing – the national interest and regenerating the call for decency and morality in the conduct of our public affairs.

 

Our platform then in 2000 made heavy weather of the corruption, malfeasance and feeding frenzy at the public trough which seemed to be much the order of the day.  We went almost everywhere and we campaigned hard.  We had battles with rabid and prejudiced detractors in certain safe areas as much as we were applauded on our articulation of the issues in some marginals.  The known malfeasants hated us more and the self-righteous loafing in the wing pretended for a time to be our friends.  We maintained our independence though and were soon to be able to point out that the problems of the past were not removed by a mere change of the guards.  We were reminded that a leopard never changes its spots and that what indeed we now have are two resembling sides of the same coin.

 

Yesterday we proposed to consider a relaunch of our Integrity Platform to introduce another view as to how our country should be governed and our economic resources distributed in such a manner as to reduce the areas of great disadvantage to the many who are being left behind as the rest of the society is being corralled into 2020 without flag, gas and identity.  Our Integrity Platform will insist again as we did in 2000, we will insist on a subscription of morality in the conduct of all our public affairs.  Congratulations and many thanks to the thousands workers, farmers, youth, housewives, unemployed and other poor citizens in the south and the north too, who came out and made May Day 2007 the success that it was yesterday.

 

I am Errol Mc Leod for the OWTU speaks.


 

OWTU SPEAKS 2007 05 04

 

 

Good evening and special welcome to OWTU Speaks.  Welcome to sensible talk, independent views, criticism and ideas.

 

It seems every day now that we are bombarded with incidences of better known personalities’ engagement in activities which may have the effect of bringing their standing in the community their office and institution into disrepute – they are most time oblivious to the fact that they do not only hurt themselves and destroy reputations.  Celebrity is also power and, like in politics, if arrogant and intent on humiliating; if too self obsessed and not service directed; if show off driven and not show piece exhibited – that power of celebrity like the power of political office has the potential to become dangerous – very dangerous.  It seems that there was a great danger at the Night Club fracas last week.  Power was obviously abused instead of stature being allowed to grow, fed by the humility which ought to have been exhibited amidst the adulation and hero worship.  It was most unfortunate. None will celebrate when marks are lost in that way without rhyme and melody even if the lyrics are plenty and repetitive.

 

That was our first point.

 

The second! The Prime Minister loses again, this time against a diplomat.  Now, if the world were unaware and unsuspecting, it would think that the Prime Minister was an innocent bobolee which every body was beating up on.  When it was not top Judical officers, it was doctors, CEO’s of Municipal Corporations, Workers and now, foreign office diplomats.

 

But the truth is that the Prime Minister invites blows on himself as he arrogates unto himself the authority of monarch, President, Father and Lord of all he surveys in Trinidad and Tobago with rights – there must be none to dispute.  He loses again, acting unfairly, guilty of an abuse of process, misuse of power and perpetrating a great injustice to the rights of the individual.  And because he is more powerful than smart he will lose again.  So long as the Prime Minister continues to emphasize the position and authority of ‘Boss’, what he does in a real sense is devalue leadership.  And if it helps at all, he will be admonished to internalize “that better leadership is action, not position.”

 

If he did learn anything from his first leader and Prime Minister, he would appreciate why there were no pursuit of Judicial Review against any of Dr. Williams’ decisions.  Dr. Williams even at his most unpopular season, was more powerful on account of his knowledge, his having a world view and an abundance of common sense.  These days it seems, common sense is rare and not common.

 

It is a pity though that with an abundance of opportunities, we still face our greatest dangers.

 

Leadership that is selfless and effective in a democratic setting – leadership that is action oriented and not position concentrated is what is necessary.

 

Congratulations to Permanent Secretary Feroza Ramjohn, Congratulations to the independence and balance which the court upheld in the matter.  There is hope yet for Trinidad and Tobago.

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS – 2007-05-23

 

Good evening!  Welcome to the OWTU speaks and welcome to last evening’s showers – they have certainly not come too soon.

 

This commentator was away in Brussels and London or much of the past two weeks during which much had gone on  here – from televangelist’s identification of prophetess and foolish politician to ecclesiastic plantain owner declaring yet another period of apprenticeship for those of our brethren who are struggling for freedom and identity of self – and of course the many other nonsensical occurrences for which we have an insatiable diet – including the ridiculous and contemptible.  We shall deal with the first, first.  Ever since Benny Hinn had come the first time and proclaimed by the “chosen-to-lead-again” as the one who will save us from damnation and suffering in Trinidad & Tobago, this commentator had seen the shallowness of the latter and the falsehood in the former.  Indeed, we suggested that Hinn should remain at home and help in the redemption of that sinful colossus which continues to bedevil the world under Bush.  But we are often made to pay for our own foolishness.  We lift up and put on pedestals everything that is foreign and particularly North American while we decry and belittle ourselves and our own home grown creations.

 

Now – Benny Hinn knows that the world’s most dotish leader is George W. Bush but he will not preach that.  If a Caucasian leader presents his prophetess she is identified as ‘special personal advisor’.  When the black leader presents his spiritual advisor she is deemed a practitioner of obeah, mombojumbo, the black occult and other such funny curious descriptions.  When the white person flies he is described a pilot but when the black flyer lifts-off he is called a souccouyant.  It is most discriminatory and grossly unfair.  Why don’t they abandon their prejudices and call a spade, a spade and a diamond, a diamond and so a foolish man, a foolish man whether he be a black Prime Minister or white or red neck President? And when would we be ready to leady and self govern ourselves ecclesiastically?


 

 

Last Friday on the news at 4 p.m. we heard another foreigner suggesting another period of apprenticeship for us such as was proclaimed in 1834 at the declaration of emancipation of the slaves.  I was astounded to the extent that I exclaimed spontaneously “Yuh mean this damn nonsense en’t done yet”  I heard an Archbishop saying inter-alia, that the archdiocese is not yet ready for a national as leader of local catholics – And that maybe in four to eight years some one would emerge to succeed the incumbent or maybe the incumbent’s successor.  And he said it with such condescension; he sounded much like Benny Hinn.  It was insulting.  Let us remind all that we had our own home bred Archbishop who led the archdiocese faithfully and well and with humility and grace.  We do not want to offend either by saying that the latches of Anthony Pantin’s shoes could hardly be tied by those who now pontificate on the assumption that there must be another period of apprenticeship before we take charge of ourselves.

 

And lastly today we admonish that little clown, the idiot Wesley George of the PMN youth to find his place.  He is an example of Benny Hinn’s sampling of the lost and foolish in Trinidad & Tobago.  His asinine view and his ignorance of the labour market issues, economic growth and the development of people, democracy and independence position master Wesley George as a prime candidate for on and off CEPEP employment or pimping after the Chinese are contracted to do everything in this crazy place.  Cool yourself young man, it is better to be quiet and be thought a fool.

 

Thank God for the rain.  Have a safe and peaceful evening.


 

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS – 2007-05-25

 

Good evening and welcome to the OWTU speaks for sensible talk, independent views and objective criticisms.  I had a belly full of laugh when a snippet of the news on Wednesday night, showed the head jester in Ali Baba’s court, the grinning gargoyle of T & T’s politics, trying to make a mark as king of the parliamentary comedy.  When others in the skit objected to the jester’s misconduct, I though that they would also wade into him and suggest that he indeed looked like a king – ‘King Kong’.  I laughed so much at how some of us can take ourselves so seriously ----“I am king and you are my subject”, the gargoyle said with an extra-ordinarily deep furrowed brow – attempting a countenance of serious authoritarianism but succeeding only to expose a plastered expression of extreme stupidity.  I just laughed and became even more amused when I thought of the catastrophe that will befall king kong in Pointe a Pierre – if the rumour is true – at the coming General Elections.

 

We wish to apologise to TTUTA and all our teacher friends that our expressions of solidarity with them are issued in the same commentary in which we have remarked on Ali Baba’s court jester.  Neither offence nor discourtesy was intended – it is just the timing of your event today and the inconvenience of postponing the currency of the ‘king’s’ declaration.  We are sorry.  The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union joins with the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association in its demand for a just and equitable settlement of salaries and conditions of employment for teachers.  That the Teachers’ Negotiations have been going on for the past six months without positive signs of progress toward a settlement belies the CPO’s and the Government’s support for quality education and the development of social infrastructure.  That the CPO seems set on abandoning the jointly accepted principle of the External Labour Market Surveys to determine teachers’ salaries, must raise doubt about the employer’s integrity and his subscription to trust and good faith in the bargaining process.  The teachers’ demands are just and reasonable and moreover, the employer can afford them.  We urge all teachers to stand up in your own defence for justice, equity and quality education.

 

We demand too that the CPO’s office and the Public Sector Negotiating Committee remove the frustrations which have been denying the settlement of negotiations for the Technical & Administrative Staff employees at the St Augustine Campus of the U.W.I.  These employees’ salary settlements have traditionally been compared with their equivalents’ settlements in the Public Service.  This time around, there are disgusting indications of political spite and an abandonment of equity, justice and decent principles on the part of those in charge.  We will not reduced to begging and we will not be forced to accept less than is due to those loyal and dedicated workers serving the cause of tertiary education and national and regional intellectual development.  U.W.I. workers are workers too and the OWTU demands that they be fairly treated.


 

We also call on the Management of T & T.E.C. to not wait until the workers lose their patience and get damn fed up before reengaging in the bargaining process.  All is not well at T & T.E.C. – we wish to advise – and things will only grow worse with the onset of the rainy season if the Management’s disrespect for the workers and their Union is not de-emphasized now with an immediate and mature return to the negotiations table.  If the essential electricity service is more fully appreciated, the authorities will perhaps appreciate more the importance of treating the people resources in that service a little more essentially. Those in charge could not at this time, proffer any cogent reason that establishes an inability to settle their employees at wage and salary levels that have already become established in the energy sector.  And just as an side perhaps, ‘those in charge would be well advised to not dispense workers’ entitlements as inducements on the eleventh hour of some major political activity.  A word to the wise!  This commentator read somewhere that ‘those who try desperately to find God and Glory at the eleventh hour usually expire at 10.30?

 

Be safe, know where your children are, respect and appreciate the elderly and have good weekend.

 

I am Errol Mc Leod for the OWTU speaks.

 

 

OWTU SPEAKS 05 28

 

Good evening and welcome to the OWTU Speaks.  One may find it incredulous that the shut down of nine of Trinmar’s platforms, essential to maintaining Petrotrin’s oil and gas production, could have been averted today if there were a more responsive and responsible management at the company’s operations.

 

When we campaigned for modern, first world health, occupational safety and environmental legislation and practices back in 1973/74 and complained that ‘our lives were at stake, the then government’s response was to set up a tripartite committee the recommendations of which were stoutly opposed by a powerful business sector. 

 

When we demonstrated and made a loud noise some thirty years later in 2005/2006 for the proclamation of the Occupational Safety and health Act #1 of 2004, asserting that ‘corporate manslaughter’ was being committed at various industrial and construction work sites – a government, pliant to big business interests – watered down the provisions in the Act and essentially allowed unsafe conditions and practices to continue with the greater use of unorganized, underpaid and in many cases – inexperienced contract labour – to challenge the response of serious Unions and encourage a ‘business as usual’ atmosphere.  The chickens would come home to roost one day and it took scores of near misses, multiple accidents and injuries and four fatalities,  all involving contractor employees, and in quick succession, too to prove the permanent workers’ claim that conditions are improperly managed, our lives are at stake and that we ought to make a timely joint intervention to safely secure our jobs and promote the businesses which provide the national bread and sustenance.

 

A more responsive and responsible management at Petrotrin – Trinmar operations would not have waited until the accidental death of another worker and serious injuries to three others last Monday to now desperately shut down eight platforms – constituting a host of unsafe practices in the process, shutting-in-some 50% of Trinmar’s production and thereby heightening workers’ anxiety about their jobs and the future of the Company.

 

As we broadcast this piece, the Central Executive of the OWTU is meeting with the Company’s Management with a view to protecting the workers’ and the national interest.

 

The OWTU remains committed today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow to the safe and reliable exploitation of our mineral resources and the interest of our people, our company and country.

 

We really welcome the rain but we must exercise now even more care on our roads.

 

Have a safe one – I am Errol Mc Leod for the OWTU Speaks.