Police have warned members of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) not to intimidate labourers who broke the picket line, two days after the union embarked on a strike at Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL). Several members of TCL's administrative staff, who were described as "traitorous strike-breakers" by the striking workers, were escorted by armed police and security guards through the company's gates in Claxton Bay before 10 am. Operations at the cement company's plants at Claxton Bay and Mayo, however, remained down. OWTU vice-president Carlton Gibson said the union would not be held responsible for any of the "scabs" if they were injured while working at the factories. "I don't know that these clerical workers can produce a bag of cement.They should be out here with their comrades," he said. Gibson denied that the union had intimidated workers. ASPs Ramlal and Zamsheed Mohammed, who spoke with Gibson, declined comment. However, they were both heard telling him that workers should be allowed to work if they wanted to. Gibson told the lawmen the OWTU was engaged in legal strike action and it was the responsibility of the union to advise the scab labourers about the union's position. "If these workers engage in strike-breaking tactics, I don't know that we will be able to protect their interests in terms of insurance, so it is our duty to advise them of such," Gibson told the officers.
"We will not prevent them from working, but we will stop to have a peaceful word with them to advise them and encourage them to support their comrades."
He also told the police that the strikers were disciplined and would work within the confines of the law. However, he advised the police to respect the rights of workers to earn a decent salary."We do not fear the police, but we respect the police," he said. "It is our taxpayers' money that pays the salaries of the police, not TCL, so we hope the police do not overstep their boundaries." Gibson said the OWTU had not alerted Labour Minister Errol McLeod on the TCL industrial impasse. "Why should we?" he asked. "We have signalled our intention to strike...The company brought down their plants and we are standing up for what we believe we deserve." Gibson denied that the OWTU was holding the country to ransom. "All we are trying to do is protect the interest of the workers," he added. He said after 30 sessions of bilateral talks, TCL had offered only seven per cent, while the OWTU was demanding 16 per cent for the period 2008 to 2011.
OWTU's Claxton Bay branch president, Lawrence Renaud, said workers were not earning a decent salary and there were disparities in bonuses. "When we get $3,000 bonus, the senior staff and managers get $200,000 bonus," he claimed.
TCL's general manager Satnarine Bachew said more than 20 administrative staff members reported for duty yesterday. "People chose to exercise their right to work and we provided the necessary protection for them to do so," he said.
Asked whether TCL had contacted the Minister of Labour to negotiate a peaceful settlement, Bachew said: "We anticipate that based on the developments, the ministry will contact us." He also expressed hope that the OWTU would work with the company to have a peaceful resolution of the strike.