May 2012 Financial News

TCL: No decision yet on court move

May 28, 2012

TRINIDAD CEMENT Ltd general manager Satnarine Bachew is expected to hold discussions with company management today on whether the company will refer the workers' strike action to the Industrial Court.

Bachew said yesterday that the company had not yet made a final decision on the issue, and was "leaving the options open".

Bachew said, "I have heard through the press that the Union is going to refer the matter to the Industrial Court. But I have not heard this officially from them. We shall see how it plays out. Only time will tell."

At midnight on Saturday, the 90-day strike notices served on TCL and subsidiary Trinidad Packaging Ltd (TPL) on February 27, expired.

Workers gathered at the strike camp yesterday, awaiting word from the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) on what was their next move.

Spokesperson Learie Mike said, "This is just a process for us to achieve an objective at the end of the day. A lot has happened over the last 90 days. We were called 'terrorists' and other things, and we don't know why. The majority of the workers here have at least 15 years service. My father and I put in some 64 years service. Our sweat and blood went here. We never wanted to cause the company any distress. We want to achieve a common ground to go forward."

OWTU Branch president Lawrence Renaud has said that both parties have seven days to refer the matter to the Industrial Court. Renaud said that whatever the court decides would be final.

Following a breakdown in wage negotiations in February, some 600 TCL workers walked off the compound and constructed makeshift tents outside the facilities at Claxton Bay and Mayo.

Bachew said 50 per cent of workers accepted the individual packages offered to them, but Renaud insisted that only 82 workers had returned to work.


Source:
By Susan Mohammed susan.mohammed@trinidadexpress.com
Trinidad Express
Monday May 28, 2012

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