Union leaders are encouraging Government workers to keep the momentum they displayed in the streets of Port-of-Spain yesterday, because they will need that support as they continue to fight for a higher wage increase offer.
Last week, Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial offered workers a two per cent increase for an eight-year period (January 2014 to December 2018 and January 2019 to December 2021).
However, thousands of daily-rated workers and public servants yesterday downed their tools and marched with their respective unions through the capital city, as they rejected the offer.
“We not taking that,” the workers shouted during their march.
Public Service Association (PSA) president Leroy Baptiste said the leaders and members must connect to ensure that the widening of the gap between the haves and have-nots ends.
“We, the workers, will insist that we have the right to own a home, that we have the right to have tenure in our jobs, that we have the right to maintain our standard of living,” Baptiste said.
However, he said it cannot be done without the public sector workers’ assistance.
“I don’t want you all to start today and fall off tomorrow,” he said.
Transport and Industrial Workers Union general secretary Judy Charles told the workers that they don’t recognise the power they have. She said if this is not realised, yesterday’s demonstration would be a one-day fight.
“This fight has to continue not just for wages but for the respect of the trade union movement and unless we don’t come together as a body of workers to gain that respect, we will continue to be trampled by this Government,” Charles said.
Erma De Bique, of the Contractors and General Workers Union, agreed, adding members gave leaders the strength to go on.
De Bique said yesterday was just the beginning and the workers needed to continue to show the Government that they were united.
“This is just the smoke, the fire behind. We have the 19 of June coming up,” De Bique said.
She asked workeres to come out in their numbers for future effiorts.
Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) president-general Ancel Roget said the event was “a war,” where the haves are against the have-nots. He said since 2013, the standard of living had deteriorated and all they wanted is for Government to bring it back up to where it was when they last negotiated.
“You can’t frighten us Rowley, you can’t frighten us, don’t threaten us Dr Rowley, don’t threaten the workers, because we going to get this thing settle you know and we going to refuse the nonsense and the disrespect,” Roget told the crowd.
Roget said they employ the Government and if they cannot give the workers what they deserve, they must be prepared to vote them out in the next three years. He said in the meantime, they must apply the pressure.
“We cannot have one march rock back and let Rowley say ‘you see’. We cannot just have one march and let Imbert say ‘you see’,” he said.
He said they had a plan for Labour Day but he couldn’t reveal what just yet. However, he said they needed the support of their comrades.
“Let us stand up and tell them enough is enough,” Roget said.
He told the Prime Minister that he was not afraid of him and if he sent one worker home after the negotiations, they would deal with him.
“We want our money, we want our money, we money don’t sleep out, in fact, it sleeping out too long,” he chanted.
The unions plan to go to Tobago soon and return to Port-of-Spain in the near future.
