CGWTU wants clear timeline on agreed wage increases

News Rishard Khan 8 Hrs Ago

President general of the Contractors and General Workers Trade Union, Ermine De Bique Meade. -

THE Contractors and General Workers Trade Union (CGWTU) is calling on the minister of finance and the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) for clarity and accountability on long-promised wage increases and arrears for daily-rated workers at the San Fernando City Corporation. The union said the delays have become “unacceptable.”

A statement by union president general Ermine De Bique Meade, on December 3, said it signed collective agreements for the periods 2014-2016, and 2017-2019, on April 24, with assurances from the CPO that new wage rates would take effect by August, and outstanding arrears paid before Christmas. Neither has happened.

She said the CPO initially attributed the delay to the transition to a new administration, later advising that the matter was awaiting the national budget, and then claiming no directive had come from the minister of finance even after the budget was delivered.

The union described the shifting explanations as a pattern of “delay and excuses” that left workers increasingly frustrated.

The situation was further compounded when the San Fernando City Corporation allegedly never received signed agreements or any instructions from the CPO. De Bique Meade said the union had to provide the documents to the corporation’s CEO four weeks ago.

The statement also noted while the PSA signed off on a ten per cent increase on December 2, and appears to be receiving expedited processing, workers represented by the CGWTU remain in limbo.

"We welcome this progress for PSA members. However, we cannot ignore the glaring disparity in treatment."

De Bique Meade emphasised that, unlike other labour groups which negotiated for the 2020-2022 period, its outstanding agreements date back more than a decade.

She pointed to the finance minister’s own remarks during the national budget presentation, in which he pledged that the government would ratify the agreements signed in April for the Teaching Service, Defence Force, and the Port of Spain and San Fernando City Corporations.