Government’s closure of Petrotrin —which is increasing pressure on the working and middle class—and its creation of a holding company with four subsidiaries is designed to crush the trade union movement, says UNC senator Wade Mark.
Speaking in Friday’s Senate debate of the 2019 Budget, Mark said, “The PNM has chosen to go for the jugular— the OWTU. They’ve calculated once the OWTU is dismembered (with the Petrotrin issue) the rest of unions would be easy pickings.”
Minister in Finance Allyson West, piloting debate, said the new businesses replacing Petrotrin will earn $200m annually in foreign exchange. She promised, “workers will be treated fairly in this period of transition.”
But Mark, criticising the Government’s treatment of T&T’s working and middle class, said the budget wasn’t in the interest of the majority of people.
“This PNM has always been anti-worker, anti-people and anti-trade union. The (Petrotrin) restructuring is being used as a ruse to establish so-called holding companies aimed at subverting the trade unions and laying off thousands and thousands of their members.
“Not only did they close down BWIA, Caroni (1975) Ltd and shut down TTT, but they’re now threatening to go after the Communication Workers’ Union, Public Services Association and National Union of Government and Federated Workers under the ruse of restructuring TSTT, WASA, BIR, Customs/Excise Division and T&TEC.”
“When a chairman of a state-owned company can refer to workers as ‘baggage’ which must be cleaned up then we know the Government has declared war on working class and ordinary people. The working class needs to be alert, united and firm in their opposition to this anti-worker, anti-trade union and anti-people PNM administration.”
He said unions should have learnt their lessons from past PNM administrations.
“Unionised workers have been weakened and undermined by this government. More workers are being exposed to the vagaries of the market place where they can be exploited and oppressed by a tiny minority who have the Government’s full support.
“Who really remembers the 600-plus ArcelorMittal workers who were promised the moon, the sun and the stars?”
Warning of the dangers of added pressure on people, he noted, “Rising unemployment has adversely impacted the health of citizens whose financial security and personal identity have been negatively affected manifested in mounting psychological problems, increased risk of mortality and unhealthy behaviour patterns.
“For instance, this country has witnessed a rise in the suicide rate of males. There’s been an alarming increase from 22.9 per 100,000 between 2010-2015 to 39.5 per 100,000 between 2015 to the present. There’s been a 72 per cent increase in the rate of suicide among men in T&T during the Government’s tenure (World Health Organisation figures.)”
Independent Senator Taurel Shrikissoon queried the impact of Petrotrin’s closure on T&T’s gross domestic product. Noting the Government’s boasts of manufacturing sector improvement, he said this was mainly in the petrochemical sector and Petrotrin would have contributed improvement.
Shrikissoon said Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s budget boast of “doing it” the Government’s way, was inconsistent with the ruling PNM’s 2015 campaign call, “Let’s Do This Together.”