The countdown to Labour Day on Wednesday has been overshadowed by threats of industrial unrest at two companies where the workers are represented by the country’s oldest trade union, the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU).
It is significant that this union, founded during the struggles for improved working conditions, wages and rights that gave rise to the Butler Oilfield Riots on June 19, 1937, is responding to 21st-century challenges with strategies identical to the ones used by the founding fathers of the labour movement all those decades ago.
Current OWTU president general Ancel Roget has been warning about possible unrest at Yara Trinidad Limited’s ammonia plants in Point Lisas and the T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC). Never mind that the contentious issues at these workplaces are radically different from the ones that led to the 1937 riots.
Mr Roget is warning of impending “catastrophic failure” and possible fatalities at Yara because he claims the permanent workforce is being replaced with contract employees.
In the case of T&TEC, he says there could be dark days ahead — a reference to possible issues with the country’s electricity supply — because of workplace health and safety concerns, specifically a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
At the surface, this seems like Mr Roget, one of the country’s most prominent and outspoken labour leaders, carrying out his union’s mandate of promoting better working conditions for their members.
However, as he follows in the footsteps of trade union giants such as Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler, Captain Andrew Arthur Cipriani, George Weekes, Albert Maria Gomes, Adrian Cola Rienzi, Elma Francois and CLR James, Mr Roget must be cognizant of how much things have changed since the early days of the labour movement.
He should not be inflexible in the face of the changing nature, forms and regulations of employment and ought not to ignore the new realities brought about by globalisation, which has radically changed workplaces and industrial relations.
In the 21st-century workplace, interactions between employers, employees and other stakeholders are focused on achieving efficiency, morale and job satisfaction in a highly competitive environment.
Many traditional jobs have become redundant and new titles and functions are continually emerging. With state-of-the-art technology becoming more widespread, there is greater demand for skilled and educated personnel and increasing numbers of ad hoc, casual, part-time, temporary and contract workers.
Flexitime and teleworking are also more commonplace.
In addition, the green and digital revolutions are putting more pressure on governments and businesses to remain competitive by embracing new technologies and cultivating a future-ready workforce.
This constantly evolving environment is an opportunity for Mr Roget and other labour leaders to move past outdated industrial relations concepts and adapt to new and enlightened methods of worker representation. It is time they redefine their structures and roles.
As the 87th anniversary of T&T’s labour movement approaches, trade unions must make more of an effort to understand the changed realities facing them and the employers with whom they interact on behalf of workers.
The quest for fair labour standards and decent work must continue but in a way that embraces modern-day realities.
Labour Day 2024 is a fitting occasion to apply the lessons learnt on June 19, 1937, with an awareness of current realities and future challenges, continuing the legacy of Butler and the other labour pioneers.