OWTU SPEAKS 2003-10-29
GOVERNMENT MINISTERS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Outside of the official parliamentary opposition, we may have been the first ones to criticize – openly that is – the Attorney General for what seemed on her part to be a lack of focus, concentrated enthusiasm and dynamic articulatory skills with the law and office of the State’s Chief Legal Officer.
Attorney General’s apparent unhurried approach to affecting a legislative programme to respond to the high incidence of official corruption during the last seven (7) years, and the consequences of rising crime. Perhaps the job has been beyond the capability of the Honourable Lady Minister but she has certainly earned our respect and admiration for her honesty and particularly the exercise of her fearless independence. To be in government and the cabinet and to categorically identify a government agency or programme as corrupt, takes great courage and is not known to our politics in Trinidad and Tobago. The Attorney General has come out publicly and said what every Tom, Danraj, Patrick and Basdeo have always known – i.e. - that there is and has been massive corruption in they URP. It is now official and one hopes that official action will now be pursued.
On the excursion into the uncharted darkness of racist separation in Trinidad and Tobago, I particularly support George John’s suggestion today, that only crass stupidity could lead an individual, a group, an organisation operating in Trinidad and Tobago to set such a standard in defiance of the line in our National Anthem: ‘Where every creed and race find an equal place’. Mr. John was giving his enlightened response to the silly but explosive government gaffe where in its Budget document – ‘Social and Economic Policy Framework 2004’, it talks about establishing targeted recruitment programmes for male Trinidadians, aged 17-24 ‘especially Afro-Trinidadian males’. And I was particularly surprised by the attempts by some whom we expect to know better – to defend and justify the blatantly foolish and insensitive statement.
The Opposition Chief whip was not far off in his assertion that our under achievers are all our Trinidad males 17-24. I should just like to amend that statement to read ‘Trinidad males age 17 to the age of National Security Minister and others on the level and senior. I was asked today to comment on Kelvin Ramnath’s charge that there is a plot to displace Indo-Trinidadians at Petrotrin. I commented that if Mr. Ramnath had no basis and foundation on which to base his charge, he must surely be abusing his parliamentary privilege and exercising the worst examples of indiscipline for a Senior Manager at that state Company. It was not long ago that there were charges of discrimination against Afro-Trinidadians at Petrotrin and other Statal Organisations. Once this damn nonsense starts there is no easy stopping and racist opportunists are known to practice the art of Selective Perceptual Displacement – that is the use of inaccurate and distorted data to condemn.
This is Errol Mc Leod voice of the OWTU, good evening to all.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2003-10-27
A NOTE TO BE WISE
Before we make more foolish mistakes and precipitate a national foot-in-month epidemic, those in charge need to be more sensible and deliberate in their thinking on the issues that confront and impact daily living in Trinidad and Tobago.
For instance, 'vision 2020’ must be presented as much more than a ‘catch phrase’; a merger of the F.C.B. with the U.T.C. cannot be flippantly suggested and just as soon withdrawn as an idea coming from a private citizen; a Principal – not a school principal even – a principal in government is exposing a tendency to ineptitude if not careless ignorance when he asserts that the upsurge of violence in our school is related to the coming to an end of the School Football Season. It is difficult as one disgusted with the almost total breakdown of standards and, as a consequence, the collapse of law and order, to not respond with appropriate expletives when top principals in the society, too often, open their months and try to fit both of their size eleven feet.
It is easy to overlook and laugh at such temporary human failings as would have us say ‘paradigim’ and ‘breakfastes’. Indeed there is the story about a member of the Legislative Council many years ago championing the case of the poor when he then called the attention of the Council to the cry of the people for bread. ‘B-r-e-d’ he said, and as his colleagues nudged him to put in the ‘a’, he quickly retorted, ‘the people need bread Mr. Speaker, ‘b-r-e-d-a’.
Now, that certain gentleman, years ago, and the authors of ‘paradigim’ and ‘breakfastes’ respectively, all communicated important and sensible messages notwithstanding their grammatical, spelling, phonic or terminological incorrectness. On the other hand however, it must be considered – with respect – that it is wholly intolerable to have top officials so over exposed to the extent that they may be subjected to public ridicule.
The most recent (faux pas) was in the plea for forgiveness as the principal leader sought to introduce his new chairman to the convener’s chair. It must be a terrible case of fast in month or rocks in head making it impossible to keep in tandem.
Absolutely no disrespect intended here. And after the reshuffle, the weekly after-Cabinet interface with the media should be the responsibility of the Minister of Information and other Ministers appropriate to the matters and things to be aired, discussed and communicated.
It is not uncommon for some to need protection from themselves. And because of fear advice is sometimes not commonly given. Nuff Respect.
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OWTU SPEAKS 2003-10-08
THE CHAGUANAS PROTEST
The issue which emerged as most prominent and important of our current affairs last Monday, was the Chaguanas protest – so called – against rising crime and kidnappings in the country. That protest demonstration would have paled into obscurity but for the tactlessness and insensitivity of the police. They were everything but politically adroit. The arrests of the two Members of Parliament and activists of the UNC, played right into the hands of a cunning Basdeo Panday, and gave buoyancy to a hitherto dying and unpopular call to civil disobedience. It was such tactlessness and lack of initiative on the part of the police that promoted the Chaguanas protests above the Budget Speech that day, and, that provided later that evening, the kind of platform which the “Bas” relishes. All of the true colours and primordiality of his brand of political struggle were given new life at Debe on Monday night. But if we stretch our short memories to three (3) years back, we should recall the police, the same police, taking political instructions and pouncing down on Trade Union leaders and Activists of the Communication Workers’ Union at the behest of the UNC administrators. Even then, we condemned the insensitivity and robot actions of the police but were debarred from taking strong solidarity action with CWU because of a repudiation of protest and struggle by the then political directorate who had one year earlier in 1999, made more stringent, the provisions of the Summary Offences Ordinance. Today, it is simply a case of reaping the whirlwind after one had sewn the wind. It is also very interesting in all of its subtlety, how Dookeran’s call for reform of the Opposition’s confrontational stance has been dismissed by one swish of the blade.
Rising crime and kidnappings have gone too far and must be pulled back now. Appeals to racial division and tribalism in the politics will only exacerbate this precarious situation and must be equally condemned without equivocation.
Our continuing examination of those matters identified in the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech and Appropriation Bill 2003-2004, focuses on two (2) issues today.
Firstly, we are with the measure that removes altogether, the tax on interest years, submitted reams of memoranda on this and related issues as many retirement nest eggs which were struggled for and taxed up front, continued to be denied their full interest earning potential post retirement. Additionally, we should like to see this measure applied to the total of the joint employer/employee contributions to negotiated Employee Saving Plans which are registered as a condition of employment.
The other issue is the long on going process of Pension Reform with particular reference to: Guaranteed levels of Income Maintenance in Retirement; An appropriate integrated Regulatory Framework for the pension industry; and the Integration and consolidation of the various legislation and regulations governing the pension industry. We are at this time identifying those issues which affect Private Contributory Pension Plans specifically and which today account for more than $11B of Pension Fund Saving in the country. We look to the Reform Exercise removing the fetters to Pension Plan Beneficiaries receiving retirement benefits above the now allowed maximum of 2/3’s of final salary where such increased benefits can be afforded by Contributory Plans and negotiated as a condition of employment.
There \are many gaps and important disconnections, it is our view, in the more than $22B. 2003-2004 National Budget but it provides none the less a platform for productive debate and the emergence of a supportable framework for a programme too 2020.
We have more to say yet!
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OWTU SPEAKS 2003-10-01
THANKS TO THE MINISTER OF LABOUR - HONOURABLE LARRY ACHONG
I guess that it is incumbent upon us to score one for Minister Larry Achong. Decency and the exercise of our fearless independence demand no less than an expression of deep appreciation for the intervention made by the Labour Minister this time on the side of labour.
We used the medium of the “OWTU SPEAK” a few editions ago to admonish the Honourable Minister as to his responsibility and that of his government to protect the interest of the some 471 workers whose subsistence wages and whose lives and limbs continue to be threatened and further advantaged by the North American super exploiter, Carlisle Tire and Rubber (Free Zone) Limited. But even as we appealed to the Minister – and I personally telephoned and spoke with Mr. Achong I had my doubts as to the politician’s readiness to take a stance on the side of the employee outside of an election period – that is the politician in government. Indeed, I remember a very senior politician who waltzed into government a few years back with the active assistance and exhilarating drum beat of labour only to take the side of the employer and condemn and persecute the Union for taking legal strike action at a particular work place in 1998. Earnestly seeking a resolution of that dispute in 1998, we approached his Minister of Labour and he was helpless; we approached his minister of Public Administration and he was useless and could make no “Mark”. I then called on the help of the senior politician, that was on Tuesday April 7th, 1998 – well, I received what sounded over the phone like the most inebriated cuss out that I had ever been subjected to. But say what – I knew that his sun was about to set. We have in the OWTU a saying which we inherited from the Martyrs – “He who tries to destroy labour ends up destroying himself”. But let me not get carried away and into a regrettable past experience. We think it appropriate that we use this medium again and this time to congratulate the Honourable Larry Achong on is being the first Minister of Labour to file for and receive an injunction against an employer in the Court.
This we feel certain must certainly help to restrain a pendulum that over the years, has swung too far against the interest of the less fortunate, unorganised and under represented in our midst. The OWTU commits to extending solidarity, help, support and well organised struggle against all forms of exploitation, discrimination an political opportunism perpetrated against workers of Carlisle Tire and Rubber (Free Zone) Limited are advised to rally with the OWTU for the representation which they deserve without the attachment of opportunist political strings as is a condition of some revived differently attired workers’ rights crusaders. It was on representation by the OWTU to Honourable Minister that the wheels of the state began to move in defence of those workers at the Free Zone Hell Hole. We thank the Minister very sincerely for his intervention and the tenacity with which he moved on this one. But that too is his job. The OWTU, notwithstanding its locus standi or otherwise, ready with all the workers and the best lawyers in the trade, to pursue an equitable fair and just settlement of this precedent setter at the Industrial Court.
And while we are in this mood to salute the Minister on this, we should perhaps take the opportunity to admonish him to stand firm on those progressive proposals to affect the $32/hr minimum wage for the unorganised migrant construction worker in the Energy Sector. In this one Honourable Minister and his government, we know, are meeting an employer/big business opposition which includes a bastard section of the Trade Union Movement showing its true colours – White Masks, Black Faces. We insist on ripping off the Masks, equitably distributing the profits and allowing for smiling and more contented faces.
And as I go, appreciation is expressed for the positive response to our call over the past three years for NIS Pensions to be increased to a minimum $1,000/month. There must be many appreciative pensioners today, October 1st 2003.