Workers caught in the middleBy Andre Bagoo and Richardson Dahlai Monday, September 8 2008
Even as the trade union movement calls on its members to “stay at home” and show solidarity to protest against escalating crime and rising food prices, the business community says it’s going to be business as usual.
Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (BATT) President Catherine Kumar said while the association agrees that inflation is a serious problem, it does not think strike action will be a productive way of dealing with the issue.
“All commercial banks will be open for business during normal banking hours,” BATT said yesterday in a paid advertisement which was headed, ‘IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL’.
“Our position is that we do not support the method or approach being used,” Kumar said. “We certainly understand the social issues facing everyone but just think that a shut-down of the country will not have any positive result.
“It is in everyone’s interest to get inflation and crime down, but we need another approach,” Kumar said. She noted banks have put special measures in place, such as the rotation of staff, to deal with any planned absences in order to ensure that service to customers will not be affected by today’s action.
Yesterday, President General Ancil Roget of the OWTU warned at a press conference at the union’s headquarters Paramount Building, Circular Road, San Fernando. that the nation’s schools and public transportation system would also be affected by the strike action.
Roget described the campaign, which also took members of the labour movement to the sister isle last week, as a “tremendous success”.
“I would like to thank the thousands and thousands of business owners and employers from Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, Arima, Tobago and other parts of Trinidad for supporting this action by the trade union movement,” he said.
The Employers Consultative Association, (ECA), has called on the protest organisers to engage in “social dialogue” instead of a work stoppage, a call rejected by the union movement. President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (FITUN), David Abdulah on Friday said that the public response for the Monday strike had been favourable thus far, as many employees had committed themselves to supporting the initiative, as a means of making a solid statement to the Government.
Roget revealed that the labour movement was also drafting a plan to “deal” with those employers who may seek to “attack” those employees who heed the call to stay at home.
“The action will expire at 12-midnight on Monday, but for those employers who attack their employees for their action on Monday, we are drafting a plan to deal with them,” he said.
Roget also announced that the public transport system, including maxi taxis and taxi drivers and ‘‘PH’’ drivers have signalled their intention to stay off the nation’s roads. “We are advising everyone to stay at home because the public transportation system will not be working. We are also calling parents to keep their children at home because teachers will not be going to school tomorrow,” he warned.
He further lambasted Government’s decision to honour the nation’s returning silver medallists at the Beijing Olympics with a street parade today as a “cowardly act” but expressed confidence that the national community instead will stay home.
“Our country is in a state of crisis, crime and violence is at an alarming rate, the murder rate is over 360 and climbing, because as surely as night follows day, the murder rate is increasing with no sign of stopping and this campaign is to keep these issues alive and get those in power to address them,” he said.
He said, “Everyone is under serious threat, but they are trying to undermine our campaign by calling people out on the streets. But our response is that we must act collectively if we are to turn this around. We are not satisfied with the level of governance in 2008.”
As an example, Roget said while the country was experiencing an increase in dengue cases, a shortage of beds, medicine and medical personnel at health institutions, the Health Ministry was engaging in a public relations exercise.
“People are being turned away from the San Fernando General Hospital because of a shortage of bed space while millions are being spent on a mega project on Chancery Lane. “We are at the point where we have to stop the grumbling, grumbling, grumbling and start to rumble,” he said.
