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.

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Lake Asphalt workers protest again for outstanding salaries

by

Sascha Wilson
1124 days ago
20220702
Contractors and General Workers Trade Union President General Ermine De Bique-Meade, left, lead workers of Lake Asphalt Limited during their protest in La Brea on Saturday.

Contractors and General Workers Trade Union President General Ermine De Bique-Meade, left, lead workers of Lake Asphalt Limited during their protest in La Brea on Saturday.

RISHI RAGOONATH

For the sec­ond time in more than a week, Lake As­phalt Ltd work­ers staged a protest de­mand­ing that their is­sues on the job be ad­dressed, in­clud­ing the pay­ment of out­stand­ing salaries.

 Wear­ing yel­low, the colour of their union, the work­ers kicked off the march from the Point D'or junc­tion in La Brea Sat­ur­day morn­ing.

Work­ers led by Con­trac­tors and Gen­er­al Work­ers Trade Union (CGW­TU) pres­i­dent gen­er­al Er­mine De Bique-Meade protest­ed in front of the Works and Trans­port Min­istry in Port-of-Spain on June 24.

De Bique-Meade said month­ly-paid work­ers did not re­ceive their salaries for two months, while week­ly paid work­ers were not paid for five weeks.

  Fol­low­ing the first protest, she said two cheques cov­er­ing two months' salaries for the work­ers were sub­se­quent­ly re­leased, but the work­ers can­not con­tin­ue to work un­der these con­di­tions.

 "These work­ers' pen­sion plan con­tri­bu­tion has not been paid for over a year. Their NIS con­tri­bu­tion which is be­ing de­duct­ed from their salaries is not be­ing re­mit­ted to the Na­tion­al In­sur­ance board. We hear the Min­is­ter of Fi­nance com­ing on the tele­vi­sion and in­di­cat­ing that the na­tion­al in­sur­ance has a short­age as it re­lates to the col­lec­tion of con­tri­bu­tions, but here the Gov­ern­ment is not pay­ing these work­ers and, by ex­ten­sion, man­age­ment is not pay­ing the mon­ey de­duct­ed from the work­ers in­to the Na­tion­al In­sur­ance Board," she com­plained.

La Brea residents look on as Lake Asphalt workers protest in the area on Saturday.

La Brea residents look on as Lake Asphalt workers protest in the area on Saturday.

RISHI RAGOONATH

Not­ing that three months ago the com­pa­ny was re­moved from the Min­istry of En­er­gy to the Works and Trans­port Min­istry, De Bique-Meade said they are seek­ing a meet­ing with Min­is­ter Ro­han Sinanan.

She said, "The min­is­ter has not made any pro­nounce­ment di­rect­ly, but in­di­rect­ly he would have said that Lake As­phalt can­not con­tin­ue in the man­ner in which it is op­er­at­ing. We have in­di­cat­ed to him to come to the ta­ble with what plans you have for Lake As­phalt and let the work­ers know what are the nec­es­sary clas­si­fi­ca­tions that would be re­quired for the new re­struc­tur­ing for Lake As­phalt so that the work­ers can re­tool them­selves. As I speak, the Min­is­ter of Works has not en­gaged the union in any talks. The Min­is­ter of Works has not in­di­cat­ed what plans they have for Lake As­phalt, and the work­ers are to­tal­ly fed up."

Al­so sup­port­ing the work­ers, Na­tion­al Trade Union Cen­tre pres­i­dent Michael An­nisette said their strug­gle was not just about work­ers, but the fu­ture of T&T, the chil­dren and the kind of so­ci­ety that they want to live in.

Al­so ad­dress­ing the work­ers, Joint Trade Union Move­ment leader An­cel Ro­get claimed the Gov­ern­ment is pre­pared to "shut down and give away" Lake As­phalt. He al­so took is­sue with labour Min­is­ter Stephen Mc Clashie who is al­so the MP for La Brea for not in­ter­ven­ing on be­half of the work­ers.

Ro­get urged them to with­hold their votes when the time comes to show their dis­gust with how they have been treat­ed.

Al­so ex­press­ing sol­i­dar­i­ty, Move­ment for Jus­tice leader David Ab­du­lah not­ed that across the world peo­ple have been protest­ing high food and fu­el prices.  "So who is we to de­mand a fair and de­cent wage, far less the is­sue of de­mand­ing that what you al­ready work for you are sup­posed to be paid and paid on time," he added. 

Protesttrade unions


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored

Today's
Guardian

Publications

Father Anthony Abraham, centre, alongside Jesus Explosion coordinator Lesley Taylor-Gouveia, left, Kerry Ragoobarsingh and Father Ian Taylor, right, pray over the congregation during Jesus Explosion 23 at the Cheryl F Greaves Auditorium, Bishop Anstey High School East, Trincity, on July 19.

Father Anthony Abraham, centre, alongside Jesus Explosion coordinator Lesley Taylor-Gouveia, left, Kerry Ragoobarsingh and Father Ian Taylor, right, pray over the congregation during Jesus Explosion 23 at the Cheryl F Greaves Auditorium, Bishop Anstey High School East, Trincity, on July 19.

Father Anthony Abraham, centre, alongside Jesus Explosion coordinator Lesley Taylor-Gouveia, left, Kerry Ragoobarsingh and Father Ian Taylor, right, pray over the congregation during Jesus Explosion 23 at the Cheryl F Greaves Auditorium, Bishop Anstey High School East, Trincity, on July 19.

Father Anthony Abraham, centre, alongside Jesus Explosion coordinator Lesley Taylor-Gouveia, left, Kerry Ragoobarsingh and Father Ian Taylor, right, pray over the congregation during Jesus Explosion 23 at the Cheryl F Greaves Auditorium, Bishop Anstey High School East, Trincity, on July 19.

Jesus Explosion 23: Visiting priest feeds RC faithful

Yesterday
Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, right, presents Israel Khan, SC, with the Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League Street Recognition Award while Rajah congratulates him during a ceremony at the St Augustine South Recreation Ground two Sundays ago.

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, right, presents Israel Khan, SC, with the Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League Street Recognition Award while Rajah congratulates him during a ceremony at the St Augustine South Recreation Ground two Sundays ago.

Courtesy Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, right, presents Israel Khan, SC, with the Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League Street Recognition Award while Rajah congratulates him during a ceremony at the St Augustine South Recreation Ground two Sundays ago.

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, right, presents Israel Khan, SC, with the Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League Street Recognition Award while Rajah congratulates him during a ceremony at the St Augustine South Recreation Ground two Sundays ago.

Courtesy Aneal Rajah Windball Cricket League

Israel Khan honoured by community cricket league

Yesterday
SSCasa chairman Eudaine Garcia meets Guyana President Irfaan Ali

SSCasa chairman Eudaine Garcia meets Guyana President Irfaan Ali

SSCasa chairman Eudaine Garcia meets Guyana President Irfaan Ali

SSCasa chairman Eudaine Garcia meets Guyana President Irfaan Ali

SSCasa steps up Caricom collaboration after summit

2 days ago
Then acting Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Barry Padarath, right, toasts with Argentina Ambassador Gustavo Martinez Pandiani during the Argentine National Day function at the Renassaince Club Room, The Renaissance at Shorelands, on July 9.

Then acting Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Barry Padarath, right, toasts with Argentina Ambassador Gustavo Martinez Pandiani during the Argentine National Day function at the Renassaince Club Room, The Renaissance at Shorelands, on July 9.

ANISTO ALVES

Then acting Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Barry Padarath, right, toasts with Argentina Ambassador Gustavo Martinez Pandiani during the Argentine National Day function at the Renassaince Club Room, The Renaissance at Shorelands, on July 9.

Then acting Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Barry Padarath, right, toasts with Argentina Ambassador Gustavo Martinez Pandiani during the Argentine National Day function at the Renassaince Club Room, The Renaissance at Shorelands, on July 9.

ANISTO ALVES

Argentina wants to export world-famous beef to T&T

2 days ago