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  • 9 months ago
The OWTU says its partnership with the Opposition UNC is not an alliance.

Vice President Ernesto Kesar says when it's election time the labour movement supports those who give a commitment to following the agenda of labour.

More from Nicole M Romany.
Transcript
00:00At a media conference at the UNC headquarters in Chagones on Tuesday, the president-general
00:06of the OWTU was among those standing hand-in-hand with opposition leader Kamala Bissett-Bissett.
00:13Today, Union Vice President Ernesto Kiza explains where the OWTU stands and why.
00:20We are indeed very forgiving and we are very focused.
00:23Why?
00:25Because whereas in 2010, 2015, the People's Partnership would have made certain mistakes,
00:33no one shut down Petrotrin and has caused – they didn't do that – and has caused
00:38economic paralysis of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:41They didn't do that.
00:42Nobody – none of them openly had sought to attack and in a sense to try to destroy
00:53the most powerful trade union in the Caribbean.
00:56Kiza tells TV6 the move the union has made is both strategic and necessary.
01:02He says the issues of labour transcends political parties and the public needs to understand
01:09that a party card cannot be more important than your clock card.
01:14He also referred to a demonstration led by the union's president-general outside the
01:19public utilities minister's private residence November last year.
01:24Minister Marvin Gonzalez told media his family was traumatised by the incident and that an
01:29official police report was made.
01:31It is not an alliance.
01:32It is a coalition of interests.
01:35What is our interest?
01:36Our interest is this current regime have violated the own laws of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:44They have violated pension laws, the Industrial Relations Act.
01:48I just read out an article where Mr. Gonzalez is refusing to meet with the recognised majority
01:54union and he's not understanding that the law provides for workers to picket workplaces
02:01and even the homes of their employer if need be.
02:03The law provides for that.
02:05However, the union executive admits that there are risks involved in aligning with politicians.
02:12Politicians say things with their mouth because it's campaign time.
02:17It comes like Satan.
02:18When Satan is campaigning, the thing looks nice.
02:21He makes hell look like the best place.
02:23I think there's a joke about that.
02:25But once you vote, you see what hell is like.
02:29So the nice thing about that is that with hell, it has salvation.
02:34Now I'm not saying that salvation comes from serving Almighty God.
02:39But I'm not going to get all religious this morning.
02:42But I'm saying to you, what you have seen happen over the last 24 hours did not happen
02:49by guess.
02:50Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley recently revealed that the petrochrome negotiations are expected
02:55to be wrapped up by month's end and that the selected company will be announced.
03:00Today, Keizer tells us the union deserves a chance.
03:05The refineries, restart, rebuild, whatever, is critical to the restoration of this economy.
03:11It's critical.
03:12The OWTU, and by extension, Patriotic Energies and Technologies, and by extension, all of
03:18the affiliated bodies that we have, who have supported us, still maintain that we are the
03:24one, the best group of persons to restart, restore, and to run that asset.
03:33Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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