Indarsingh condemns PM Rowley threats to workers
The United National Congress Member of Parliament for Couva South condemns the arrogant and outlandish statement of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that the wage settlement which were undertaken on behalf of Public Servants and Law Enforcement Officers will lead to massive job losses.
The wage agreements which were undertaken between recognized majority Trade Unions and Employers under the former administration, were recognized within the Independent Bargaining Process which fell under the purview of the Industrial Relation Act and that the Prime Minister must immediately desist from bullying and threatening Public Servants and by extension Law Enforcement Officers as it relate to their outstanding back pay, that if paid will result in massive job losses.
The Prime Minister who swore by his oath of office to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law must truly understand that all Wage Settlements on behalf of Public Servants and Law Enforcement Officers are fully recognized through the Collective Bargaining Process under the Industrial Relations Act Chapter 88:01, and which are recognized bilaterally and through 3rd party intervention at the level of Chief Personal Officer (CPO) and the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago.
His utterances of back door arrangements between the Former Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Trade Union Leaders is an indication of his lack of understanding of the Collective Bargaining Process and the lack of commitment on the part of his government to commit to good Industrial Relation practices to which the Prime Minster and his party campaigned on “ timely Settlement of all outstanding public sector wage and salary negotiations,” which is found in page 68 of their manifesto.