Unions reject Elder’s comments, demand fair negotiations for all

Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Clyde Elder. - File photo

STATEMENTS by Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Clyde Elder, that unions who accepted the former government’s four per cent wage offer should not expect to receive the same ten per cent increase won by the Public Services Association (PSA), have been slammed by trade unions across Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking to media outside Parliament on November 28, Elder said those unions will now face challenges in reopening negotiations and noted the lengthy negotiation process the PSA endured.

But Prison Officers’ Association (POA) president Gerard Gordon said the comments fostered division in the labour movement and ignored the nature of the previous agreements.

He said the previous administration referred all wage negotiations to the Special Tribunal of the Industrial Court, an environment he described as coercive.

“I recall clearly that during those proceedings, the chairman of the tribunal threatened to impose a ten-year judgment if matters were allowed to run their full course. For a small organisation like ours, this was not a bluff we could take lightly. Facing the uncertainty of drawn out litigation and the looming possibility of an imposed settlement, many unions signed not because the offer was fair or acceptable, but because circumstances gave them little meaningful choice.

“To now hold those decisions against them is unjust,” he said in a statement posted to Facebook.

Gordon said the PSA’s settlement demonstrated that better outcomes are achievable and it cannot be unreasonable for other unions to reopen negotiations for outstanding periods.

“Especially when wage stagnation has eroded quality of life for thousands of public officers…prison officers have endured some of the harshest working conditions in the public service, all while maintaining national security at significant personal risk.

“To deny us the opportunity to negotiate fairly going forward is to disregard the sacrifices made by officers who have upheld law and order in the face of rising violence, inadequate staffing and infrastructural decay.”

He said while the POA is not looking to adjust concluded agreements, negotiations for outstanding periods must begin.

Announcing the TT Registered Nurses Association’s (TTRNA) intention to restart negotiations with the RHAs from 2014, president Idi Stuart called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo to confirm if Elder’s statements reflect official government policy.

He said Elder’s comments raised serious concerns about the future of trade union activity, democracy and the allocation of state resources.

“Under no circumstance can it be acceptable for a government to direct the CPO to offer or settle salary increases based on a union’s political alignment. The precedent this sets, and the message it sends, is nothing short of alarming.”

Stuart said have long practised nepotism toward individuals and businesses that support them.

“This culture has crippled our nation for decades, preventing Trinidad and Tobago from developing properly, as policies and decisions are too often based on political allegiance rather than merit or national interest. Extending this already destructive practice to wage negotiations may well become the final nail in the coffin for our country.

“...If political parties begin to fully embrace this practice in the future, it will spell the end of independent trade unions and the collective bargaining process.”

Secretary general of the Communications Workers' Union, Joanne Ogeer also raised concerns about political and union alignment.

“When political actors appear aligned with labour actors, negotiations are influenced by political loyalty rather than by merit or workers' rights. Outcomes may become compromised to suit electoral agendas rather than the collective will of workers. This creates a power imbalance, where the government holds leverage through political loyalty, rather than through adherence to international labour standards.”

She said industrial peace is not simply the absence of strikes but the presence of fairness and workers’ trust.

“Political alignment introduces a risk of peace by silence rather than peace by justice.

“...The former secretary general Clyde Elder once raged with passion about injustice and agreed to a settlement of five per cent for TSTT over six years. We have not received increases since 2019.

“Having TSTT realised profits, etc is he saying indirectly that TSTT workers do not deserve ten per cent due to not forming part of the statutory bodies as identified for the promised ten per cent offer? Or is he saying because Unions who have not formed part of the coalition will be disadvantaged like the CWU?”

​In a statement posted to Facebook, the Estate Police Association (EPA) said all workers serving the state should be equally considered for wage adjustments, especially as the cost of living rises.

“No worker should be disadvantaged due to the administrative structure of their institution or their union’s strategic decisions.

“…It must be mentioned that the manifesto of the UNC says that the manifesto has been adopted as government policy, and the rejection on the four and five per cent is clearly stated in the workers' agenda, so any assertion that only a certain sector of government workers will benefit from the offer of ten per cent is not in keeping with the policy.”