SWWTU rejects five-year back-pay claim for port workers

The Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) has rejected claims that an agreement was reached to pay Port-of-Spain port workers’ outstanding back pay over five years.

In a media release, the union said no discussions had taken place and no agreement had been reached with the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) or the minister responsible for the port to settle the outstanding payments in five annual instalments.

The union’s statement follows claims made during recent parliamentary proceedings suggesting that such an arrangement was in place.

SWWTU said it wanted to correct the information and ensure workers were not misled about the status of their outstanding entitlements.

It stressed that its rejection of a five-year payment arrangement should not be interpreted as opposition to receiving back pay or as a rejection of workers’ right to the money owed to them.

The union said the settlement of outstanding back pay and monies owed for acting appointments remained unresolved.

It added that any calculations of the sums due to workers must account for all outstanding arrears, including pension contributions, overtime payments and acting allowances.

SWWTU also cautioned that payments already made to some workers should not be interpreted as the union’s acceptance of a five-year arrangement to settle the outstanding amounts.

“Port workers are entitled to accurate information and the full settlement of their outstanding entitlements,” the union said.

It called for an immediate clarification of the statements made during the parliamentary proceedings and meaningful engagement among the relevant parties to resolve the longstanding issues.

The union maintained that workers must receive all outstanding monies owed to them and that no agreement should be attributed to the organisation when none had been reached.

The dispute centres on the settlement of outstanding payments due to port workers, with the union insisting that the matter remains unresolved and that any proposed arrangement must not be presented as an agreement reached with SWWTU.

The union said it remained firm in its position that workers’ entitlements must be honoured.