By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Tuesday, March 9 2010

The three options are: voluntary separation of employment, transfer to another post in the public service at terms no less favourable and transfer to the TTRA.

Speaking to Customs and Board of Inland Revenue workers at the Brian Lara Promenade, Port- of-Spain, PSA president Watson Duke yesterday said the union had to be part of the process of negotiations for workers’ terms.



He warned the workers not to be fooled by offers of contracts coming to them individually and said the authorities must respect the process of collective bargaining.



“Anyone going across without the PSA route will be going across on contract. And they will do you what they do BWIA, bring across a few to train the rest and after two years or six months they get rid of you.”



He was critical of Employers’ Consultative Association (ECA) calling the organisation the “children of massa” because it said workers should not have stayed home for the PSA’s day of rest on March 1.



ECA chairman Ruben McSween has offered to mediate between the Finance Ministry and the PSA but Duke said he had not received a letter yet but looked forward to it.



Despite his earlier critical comments, Duke said, “We don’t know what role the ECA could play but whatever role they are willing to play are we are willing to give them a chance at it.”



The PSA will join other trade unions at the Port-of-Spain City Hall this morning to discuss the threat of union-busting and contract labour.