DAVID ABDULAH Sunday, October 18 2009

The protest by workers from China highlighted problems that have existed for several years, but which the authorities have refused to deal with. And let it not be said that they were unaware of the working and living conditions of these workers.

By letter dated February 9, 2007, as president of FITUN, I wrote to the then Minister of Labour, Senator Danny Montano, calling on him to immediately investigate “the practices and conditions surrounding Chinese labour in our country.” That letter followed not only our own information of the conditions of the workers but a protest by some workers at a compound at which they lived on Saddle Road, San Juan, which protest was reported in the press.

In our letter, we identified several issues: the violation of the minimum wage law, violations to the Occupational Safety and Health Act being but two related specifically to the workplace.

In addition, we stated these workers were doing work that could be done by nationals of Trinidad and Tobago and therefore ought not to have been given work permits.

We concluded that “with life within gated quarters, under strictly controlled conditions including the denial of freedom of speech, and pay below our national minimum wage, the condition of Chinese labour in Trinidad and Tobago may constitute a form of modern slavery/peonage that is inconsistent with international human rights standards, and should be an offence to our national conscience as well.”

The minister’s response was that no violations were taking place. On a number of other occasions we highlighted this issue and called for an end to the Manning government’s policies of mega-projects and the use of foreign and, in particular, Chinese contractors. This policy was being implemented by Udecott and was yet another reason why this state company was seen by us as a rogue elephant and needed investigation.

The response was that the Chinese firms were more efficient and that the workers were far more productive. On the surface that may be so, but – at what cost? It is totally unacceptable to advance the argument that it is cheaper and more efficient to use labour that is super exploited. That argument was used to justify slavery. For a government of a country that emerged out of slavery and indenture to articulate such a position speaks volumes about their values.

For Mr Manning, nothing must stand in the way of his vision. The ends justify the means. So, whether or not workers’ rights are being violated, is not important. All that matters is that the skyscrapers are put up and the so called signature buildings are constructed. So the authorities turned a blind eye to the conditions of the Chinese workers.

Even as workplace accidents caused injury and then a death, there was no urgent action – after all accidents happen when you are trying to get work done in the shortest possible time, don’t they? That is just the price for efficiency.

Trample workers rights, ignore issues of transparency surrounding Udecott, continue with a so-called development paradigm that has blown hundreds of billions of dollars and now sees us in deficit financing, pursue prestige projects like two major international summits in one year even as the basic needs of citizens go unfulfilled – all in the name of 20-20.

What we have is a predicament of governance. And so we have to mobilise to save this country. Save it from the hopeless and hapless politicians who sit in the Parliament, for they do not wish to change the system of governance.

They are all bankrupt when it comes to ideas and their politics is corrupt. It will have to be a case of getting rid of the old – parties and system. And bringing in the new – party or parties and system.

But, just when all seems to be gloom in the country – what with the events of the Beetham on Thursday evening, when all the frustrations of a community that has been dispossessed by the PNM for so long, exploded; we then had the wonderful scene of Trinidad and Tobago winning their third T20 game in India. Here was a team of young dedicated Trinbagonian men, who were on the world stage and who have been conquering all before them.

These young men have shown us what is possible. There was no Indian this and African that. It mattered not that Darren and Sherwin Ganga are Indos from Barrackpore or that Dwayne and Darren Bravo are Afros from Santa Cruz.

The type of hair that Kieron Pollard has, is of no concern to Dinesh Ramdin. While the team is diverse in terms of race, religion, the community they live in, the team is clearly united in its goal and possessing the quality of leadership that inspires all to believe in the ability to achieve. There is, as CLR always reminded us, a lesson in the cricket – beyond the boundary.