The National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) has called on the government to settle all outstanding negotiations without any further delay.
In a statement issued yesterday NATUC said it is convinced that the excuse being used by the government that the “country has no money, so wages and salaries increases cannot be paid at this time” or the other narrative, “if we pay the increase of wages and salaries, government workers will have to be retrenched”, is misleading and calculated to put fear in the hearts of workers.
It said this strategy aims to make workers subservient and afraid to demand their just right to be treated equally and respectfully, which is their basic human right as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
NATUC said it is of the view that “what is required is the prioritising of how the government spends its money and not the regulating of workers’ wages and salaries to that of second-class citizens. Decent wages and salaries increases have proven to be in the best interest of world economies. Further, it has been proven that wages and salaries increase allows for workers to maintain their purchasing powers, thereby acting as a stimulus to the economy.”
Quoting ILO studies, the trade union said it has been revealed that wage lead and job lead growth has seen economies coming out of the “Economic strangulation” and “harsh austerity measures” with or without the input from the IMF, whose intervention almost always brings more pain and suffering to the working class, since they are the ones who ultimately are called upon to make the most sacrifice when austerity measures are introduced.
NATUC added the failure of the Government to address outstanding wages and salaries negotiations for all government daily rated workers and monthly paid workers, going as far back to 2007 and the non-implementation of the PATT negotiation settlement of 12% for Dockworkers for the 2014 To 2017 period, cannot stand scrutiny and cannot be justified.
It said what the government is deviously doing is imposing a forced unilateral wage freeze on all government employees and all statutory bodies and/or entities that fall under the remit of the Government. Further, it demonstrates the lack of innovation and creativity that is necessary to keep the economy growing by sustaining job growth and wage growth.
The union added that to date several letters written and sent to the Government have not been acknowledged and its attempts to meet and treat with the matter in good faith, over all outstanding negotiations for public servants and government daily paid employees has gone by without any success.
It said the failure to engage in dialogue with NATUC speaks volumes and is a contradiction in the so-called new society. The engagement of all stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago must not be dependent on the whims and fancy of any Government leader or Minister.
NATUC said, “A disrespect to one is a disrespect to all”.
The union added, “no wages and salaries increases for six years and more is an injustice to all public servants and government daily rated employees”.