Unions fire back at Imbert’s proposed 5% wage increase …

Senior Reporter

jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt

There is pushback from several public sector trade unions following Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s announcement of a proposed five per cent wage increase.

During the 2024/2025 national budget presentation in Parliament on Monday, Imbert said the Government recognised that the four per cent offered to public sector workers for 2014-19 was not large, but it was all that the Government could have afforded then.

“I have today instructed the Chief Personnel Officer to make the necessary preparations to commence negotiations with those trade unions that accepted the previous four per cent offer for the period January 2020 to December 2022.

“The Government, even in the face of our challenging financial circumstances, has decided to offer an increase of five per cent.” President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Martin Lum Kin told Guardian Media yesterday that negotiation, by public decree, must be rejected.

“This Government is seeking to circumvent the established methodology of bilateral negotiations between the representatives for the employer, that is, the CPO, and the relevant recognised association.”

Lum Kin said government’s move to make an offer in the public domain with the hope that the association would accept it was “outrageous” and “callous”.

“One must be reminded that the established methodology of the external labour market, which does not utilise the percentage increase but closure of the gap in the market, has been recognised by the CPO as the best method of salary negotiations.”

President of the Fire Service Association (FSA) Keone Guy shared Lum Kin’s position and described the Finance Minister’s action as disrespectful and a violation of the collective bargaining process.

“We are dissatisfied with the government’s announcement of five per cent that is generally because not only is it grossly inadequate but the process; the Government seems to not recognise that wages within the public service should be determined after a collective bargaining process is concluded and that process will determine what will be a suitable increase to workers, so to have the Minister of Finance stand in the parliament and indicate that this will be the increase, to us, seems disrespectful.”

On Monday, Imbert also stated that the PSA and NUGFW’s refusal of the four per cent offer cannot be allowed to delay negotiations for the next bargaining period with other public sector trade unions, who represent more workers.

However, PSA president Leroy Baptiste told Guardian Media that the Finance Minister misrepresented the facts when he stated that the PSA reported a dispute.

“It was the Government through the CPO that, after two meetings, reported a dispute. Moreover, it’s dictatorship and bullying on full display. Negotiations by decree. To hell with collective bargaining.

“The union’s role is to agree to the decree. This is objectionable and must be resisted not just for ourselves but for future generations of workers. There is a purpose to negotiations, that is, to, at a minimum, maintain the standard of living of those we represent.”

The Assistant General Secretary of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Trevor Johnson also weighed in on the Government’s proposed five per cent offer.

Speaking on CNC3’s post-budget panel on Monday night, he said, “The labour movement will be treading cautiously with regards to this offer because, based on the experience we had with the four percent, the minister made it appear that all the unions that signed off on the four percent did so willingly, but that was not the case. The four per cent when it was offered was not really what we would call collective bargaining because, basically, it was the CPO on behalf of the Government saying take it or leave it.”

Head of the Prison Officers’ Association Gerard Gordon said they were looking forward to the negotiations.

“Our goal is to attempt to bring our negotiations current and to not lag behind or have periods lag behind, so for us we are rearing to go to see what we are able to achieve.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Employers Consultative Association Ronald Ramlogan said he was hopeful for amicable dialogue among the trade union membership and the CPO.

“We would encourage both sides to ensure a good-face approach is always adopted to these types of negotiations as is mandated by the Industrial Relations Act, notwithstanding a more concerted effort to improve the timeliness of these public sector negotiations.” Meanwhile, president of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union (TIWU) Shawn Roberts, which represents MTS officers, added that the $2 increase to public sector wages is an apparent appeal to voters ahead of the general election.

“In the national budget, concerning the minimum wage going from $20.50 to $22.50, it is a political ploy to sweeten the working class, to get votes for the upcoming general election. It is something that is not new to us.”

The post Unions fire back at Imbert’s proposed 5% wage increase … first appeared on CNC3.