JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Monday, July 7, 2025

Wage hikes for 1,000 Carib workers

by

20170117

Ian Mac­Don­ald, CEO of Caribbean De­vel­op­ment Com­pa­ny Lim­it­ed and Carib Brew­ery Lim­it­ed, said he con­sid­ers the set­tle­ment of wage ne­go­ti­a­tions to be an im­por­tant in­vest­ment for the com­pa­ny, even in a time of eco­nom­ic down­turn.

"It is no se­cret that the econ­o­my is dif­fi­cult in T&T so it is im­por­tant for us to forge part­ner­ships with the trade union and work to­geth­er to en­sure the vi­a­bil­i­ty of our or­gan­i­sa­tion and our em­ploy­ees are among those go­ing for­ward," he said at the sign­ing new col­lec­tive agree­ments be­tween the com­pa­ny and the Na­tion­al Union of Gov­ern­ment and Fed­er­at­ed Work­ers (NUGFW) at Carib's head of­fice in Champs Fleurs yes­ter­day.

Rough­ly 1,000 work­ers will ben­e­fit from the agree­ment which cov­ers sev­er­al bar­gain­ing pe­ri­ods from 2011 to 2019.

While he could not give the ex­act fig­ure on how much the set­tle­ment would cost Carib, Mac­Don­ald said it was a sig­nif­i­cant. He said retroac­tive wages to the work­ers should be set­tled by the end of the month.

"It is a sig­nif­i­cant in­vest­ment but it is an in­vest­ment for the fu­ture," he said, adding that keep­ing em­ploy­ees hap­py and com­mit­ted is of para­mount im­por­tance to the com­pa­ny.

"There are chal­leng­ing times but in part­ner­ship with our em­ploy­ees and the union go­ing for­ward we have a unit­ed Carib fam­i­ly and we are all fight­ing for the same thing," Mac Don­ald said.

He said like the rest of coun­try, the com­pa­ny is af­fect­ed by high­er tax­es .

"Every­one's im­pact­ed, as peo­ple have less dis­pos­able in­come and it is a chal­leng­ing en­vi­ron­ment to­day, so it is im­por­tant to keep the fight out there and not on this com­pound. Our pack­aged goods mar­ket has been af­fect­ed by the econ­o­my," he said.

As a re­sult of the set­tle­ment be­tween the com­pa­ny and the union, for the pe­ri­od 2013 to 2016, Carib will with­draw its ap­peal of a judg­ment award­ed by the In­dus­tri­al Court for a 16 per cent in­crease.

In ad­di­tion, the com­pa­ny will ho­n­our the judg­ment giv­en to the month­ly paid bar­gain­ing unit for the pe­ri­od 2011 to 2015 for a 13 per cent in­crease.

The par­ties have bi­lat­er­al­ly agreed to a 13 per cent in­crease for the week­ly paid bar­gain­ing unit and the week­ly and month­ly paid bar­gain­ing units have set­tled at six per cent for the 2016 to 2019 pe­ri­od.


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored

Today's
Guardian

Publications

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

Jaggasar returns as National Parang president

18 hours ago
Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Jamaican Maroons celebrate, question land rights

18 hours ago
Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford

Sherron Harford’s holistic mission

to transform the lives of girls

Yesterday
Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Despite finding out just three days earlier—on December 23—that I had breast cancer, I still got dressed and showed up on December 26, Boxing Day, for a birthday party. I didn’t go to escape the truth. I went to remind myself I was still here, still living, still me.

Nicole Drayton’s breast cancer journey–Fear, faith, and fighting back

Yesterday