00:00Voices of youth workers participating in the 46th Congress of the International Transport
00:10Workers' Federation in Morocco echoing in unison in an expression of solidarity for
00:16workers at the Port of Spain who are engaged in ongoing industrial action.
00:22President of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers' Trade Union Michael Anassat says he raised
00:27the issues affecting the workers at the event, and a media release dated October 20th was
00:32sent out under the National Trade Union Center calling for international solidarity.
00:38It highlighted the use of military personnel at the port, a measure taken by the Port Authority
00:43to address a labor shortage due to the protest action, health and safety concerns, and what
00:49it refers to as violation of the collective bargaining agreements.
00:54Anassat, who is set to return from Morocco on Monday, tells TV6 News what was done at
00:59the ITF is only the beginning of taking the plight of port workers internationally.
01:04We will continue to look at every means and every measure that is open to us to make this
01:14an issue on the international, local and regional landscape.
01:22The SWWTU and the Port Authority met recently.
01:27But the meeting was not satisfactory.
01:31While there has been commitments that were made, the fundamental issue of the health
01:38and safety issues, the issue of the wages that the port admitted that it did agree with
01:45the union is still up in the air, given the fact that the government, through the Minister
01:53of Works and Transport, would have mandated the Port Authority to offer a 2% wage increase.
02:02That's for the period 2014 to 2017, where a 12% wage increase was initially agreed to.
02:09The government makes a decision that they're not going to pay that because the UNC would
02:14have done that agreement for votes purposes.
02:20Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan has said it is a matter at the level of the
02:24chief personnel officer.
02:26Well, Anassat signals that the union is not letting the matter rest, calling what is transpiring
02:32insulting and disrespectful and against good industrial relations.
02:39We are going to plan several events because I have called on the dockworkers to stand strong.
02:47The SWWTU also accuses the Port Authority of taking decisions to alter the benefits
02:53and the promotion of some workers without consulting the union.
02:58He is of the view that the International Labour Organization Convention and the Industrial
03:03Relations Act, which address how collective bargaining is to be approached, are being
03:08breached.
03:09We're reaching a stage where somebody has to bell the cat, and if it's Seamen and Waterfront
03:15Workers Trade Union and by extension the dockworkers, so be it, because we are prepared to take
03:22on the government and the Port Authority.
03:26Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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