The National Trade Union Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (NATUC)

Thursday, 29 December 2011 00:00

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Attention: Honourable Glynis Roberts, MP
Minister of Labour, Grenada

Dear Honourable Prime Minister Tillman Thomas,

The National Trade Union Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (NATUC), which represents 18 (eighteen) unions and over 200,000 (two hundred thousand) workers in Trinidad and Tobago has learned with great concern and regret of the unfortunate lockout of the over 100 (one hundred) workers of Grenada Breweries Limited.

NATUC also views with concern the unwarranted attack by the police force on the said workers who were exercising their constitutional right to peaceful picketing. The excessive use of the police force coupled with the arrest of the President General of the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union, Senator Chester Humphrey in light of the signing of an agreement on December 22nd 2011 for the Union to immediately cease the current blockade of the Company’s premises and for all affected employees of the Company to return to work, raises serious questions in the mind of NATUC’s Executive over the apparent unwillingness of the Company to respect the agreement that was mutually arrived at through the auspices of your Minister of Labour, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs, the Honourable Glynis Roberts.

Honourable Prime Minister, you will appreciate that in this enlightened industrial age, the blatant disrespect by any employer to honour an agreement that is arrived at through your Ministry of Labour must be strongly condemned by your Government and anyone who has respect for democracy and the rule of law.

We cannot and must not allow the business community to appear to be a law unto themselves. To do otherwise will cast a long dark shadow over the institutional framework which was set up by the Government to deal with trade disputes, without fear or favour.

Given the above, we in NATUC cannot help but reemphasize the need for you and your Government to intervene in the impasse to ensure that all affected workers are returned to their jobs without any further delay and/or victimisation whatsoever.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Annisette
President