Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs has given instructions to immediately stop the payment of extra-duty allowances to policemen posted at the Trinidad Cement Ltd strike camp in La Brea. President general of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union Ancel Roget met with the top cop for just over an hour at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Describing the meeting as "very cordial," Roget said the OWTU had reiterated several complaints against the police. Gibbs assured that they would all be investigated and acted upon, Roget added. "We were guaranteed that the incidence of extra duty being paid by TCL...that has been brought to a halt and that instructions were given to not engage in any type of extra duty funded by TCL." It was brought to Gibbs' attention, he said, that the practice had not stopped, despite instructions to that effect given several weeks ago.
Roget said: "It is our information that it is still continuing and we asked that it be further investigated because our information suggests that the TCL management is still encouraging that." said he also was assured at yesterday's meeting that the police would be rostered according to "normal duty," minus overtime and extra-duty allowances purportedly funded by TCL. "This was the source of our complaint, because who pays the piper calls the tune. Saying he had no problem with police officers earning extra-duty allowances, because he believed they were grossly underpaid, Roget said, nevertheless, such payments were questionable, given the current strike. "We have no problem with police earning extra duty. Indeed we feel that the policemen are underpaid and they ought to be well paid, and they ought not to be working overtime to supplement their normal earnings. "But in the circumstances, and in the issue of the strike camp at TCL, we seriously question that," Roget added. Another issue which was brought to the fore was the reported refusal of police at the St Margaret's Station to record complaints from TCL employees.
"The corporal at the police station who turned back workers on two occasions - that featured in our discussions and a commitment was given to investigate that," Roget said. Calling on Gibbs to probe claims of bias on the part of the police, Roget added that they would lead to general mistrust by members of the public. "At the end of this strike when the workers go back into work, it would be the Police Service that would suffer, that would remain a casualty, in terms of the image of the Police Service," he added.
He also accused the police of carrying in scabs, or temporary workers, to TCL and asked whether that was part of police duties. However, he maintained he was not against the presence of the police at TCL.
"On no occasion did the union say there should not be police there. We always maintained that if the police,based on their availability on manpower, believe they should deploy the entire police force at TCL strike camp...deploy them. "We have absolutely no problem with that," Roget reiterated. Also attending the meeting were Deputy Police Commissioners Jack Ewatski and Mervyn Richardson.