"No one has the right to hold the nation to ransom," said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as she read the riot act to protesting immigration workers.
On Thursday, Labour Minister Errol Mc Leod got an injunction from the Industrial Court, restricting workers from taking and/or continuing to take industrial action contrary to the Industrial Relations Act Chap 88:01.
However, although the court order was granted, scores of customers continued to face hardships at the San Fernando Immigration Division.
In a statement, Persad-Bissessar said anyone who stayed away from duty would be in breach of the court order.
Saying Government will do everything in its power to avert the continued shutting down of essential services, Persad-Bissessar said she will not "condone the attack on the fundamental rights of citizens such as the freedom of movement and the right of a citizen to hold a passport or the right to conduct their daily business.
"I regret that good sense did not prevail by the PSA. Negotiations on wages continue to be held by government in good faith but we cannot have the PSA hold the entire nation to ransom with the continued shutdown of Immigration Offices and other areas of critical service to the nation. Each day this persists the situation becomes more urgent. The industrial action by the PSA is deemed by the Government to be unreasonable, unjust and illegal," she said.
Persad-Bissessar added: "These cannot be tools to be bargained with to advance any interest especially when negotiations are continuing in good faith."
She said threats of shutting down the country could not be taken lightly when immigration offices and others serving the vital needs of the population remain closed, inconveniencing and even endangering the lives of thousands of citizens.
"Even those seeking to travel for urgent medical attention, employment or to take up places at educational institutions have been jeopardised and put at risk. The cost in human and economic terms is incalculable. There must be some reason and responsibility brought to bear upon the situation by those who lead these discussions," Persad-Bissessar said.
"Even as I recognise that everyone has the right to protest, no one has the right to hold a nation to ransom. We are better than this as a nation.
"Let us find the maturity and level-headedness necessary to resolve these issues in a responsible manner. I am open to finding this common ground but I will exercise every resource available to me in ensuring the rights of citizens are not compromised. There is no room for negotiation on that."
in limbo
At the San Fernando Immigration Office at Knox Street, several customers complained that applications were still not being processed. Christal Joseph, who came to renew a passport, said she was told to come back on Monday.
"The immigration officer said they only work on renewals from 7am to 11am. This is not right," Joseph said.
Sean Ramcharitar lauded the Government for seeking an injunction to prevent protests.
"This is an essential service and although people have a right to protests, they cannot have the public suffering like this," Ramcharitar said. Geraldine George, who applied for a renewal since January, said she had had to postpone her vacation because she was denied.
"When I went there today they told me that I will get it in the next few months. I cannot understand why," George said.
Angus Joseph said the issues must be addressed as soon as possible.
A citizen of the United Kingdom, who wanted to get documents stamped so he could apply for residency for his wife, also said he was turned away.
"They told me that I have to go to Port-of-Spain, but workers there were protesting. I am 76 years old and they have us running up and down. The system here is out of sync. In England, this would never have happened," the pensioner said.