Union Leaders Stage Demonstration Outside T&T Prime Minister’s Office

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar 18, (CMC) – Labour leaders, today, staged a demonstration outside the Office of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, calling for legislation to be put in place to protect workers from job losses.

“The issue of how workers are being guaranteed protection at this point in time, because the law does not provide for that,” President of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), Ancel Roget, told reporters.

Over the past few months, several people have lost their jobs, including more than 600 who were sent home after the steel and iron mining company, ArcelorMittal, announced it was closing down its operations here.

President of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), Ancel Roget.

“We resolve to make a very strong call, indeed a demand, for placing as a priority above all the other amendments, the amendment to Act 32 of the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act for workers,” Roget said.

He added, that in instances where the company decides to wind up and open up operations under another name “tomorrow or next week, those workers will be high on the pecking order, in terms of being paid their severance benefits”.

“Right now, they are at the very lowest and we are still reeling with pressure for our workers who would have been retrenched years ago, and today, have still not received their severance benefits,” Roget said.

He said, that some government ministries were not adhering to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed between the JTUM and the then opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) prior to the September 7 general elections, for improving labour relations on the island.

“That way going forward will not see the light of day if it does not have the support of the Cabinet colleagues and that is the point we are making this morning,” he said, praising Labour Minister, Jennifer Baptiste Primus, for adhering to the MOU.

“If we are making one statement this morning, it is that we have challenges with the government ministers honouring the memorandum of understanding,” he added.