TRADE UNION leaders are calling on all workers to vote out the current government in the next general election, saying its lack of fairness and empathy, corruption, failure to perform, and the resulting anger and frustration by the populace should be registered at the ballot box.
At a rally in the Queen’s Park Savannah, opposite the seat of the Office of the Prime Minister, at Whitehall on December 7, union leaders laid out their issues with the current government.
The stand-out issues were the Finance Minister’s various attempts to break previous collective agreements regarding wage increases and the Prime Minister's acceptance of a 47.5 per cent wage increase as recommended by the Salaries Review Commission, while workers were only offered between two and four per cent increase in pay.
In a post-Cabinet news briefing on November 28, Rowley announced he had accepted the salary increase proposed by the SRC for the Office of the Prime Minister. He said he was aware some people would not be happy with the decision but said, “I bear that cross without fear of retribution.”
[caption id="attachment_1125233" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Oilfields Workers' Trade Union president general Ancel Roget, right, with other union members after delivering a letter at the Prime Minister's residence on December 7. - Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
The union leaders told the crowd of hundreds gathered that they would not tell them who to vote for, but they would tell them who not to vote for, the People’s National Movement (PNM).
After the rally, the group marched to Dr Rowley's official residence in St Ann’s to deliver a letter outlining the unions’ demands.
The security at the residence refused to accept the letter. The officer told the union members there was no mailbox and suggested the letter be delivered on Monday.
The envelope with the letter was left tucked behind the Coat of Arms sign on the gate with the hopes it would be delivered to Rowley.
The recommendations of the SRC will see a salary increase for the Office of the Prime Minister which will see Dr Rowley's salary rise from around $59,000 to $87,847.
The current salaries of the President, Prime Minister and Opposition Leader are $64,270, $59,680 and $29,590 respectively. The SRC recommends increasing them to $81,170, $87,847, and $52,159 respectively.
In announcing the decision to accept the SRC's recommendations, Dr Rowley said on November 28, "I subscribe to the fact that the country’s management structure does relatively good work, in some cases excellent work, and where they are to be compensated, I believe the compensation that is recommended by the SRC is not exorbitant for the country’s management structure.”
The unions' letter, which was read out, signed by Oilfields Workers' Trade Union president general Ancel Roget and general secretary of the National Trade Union Centre Michael Annisette on behalf of the trade union movement and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, reminded Rowley of the government’s various responsibilities to the count
