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  • 7 months ago
The Government, headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has joined Trade Unions for their Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad.
Persad-Bissessar announced that a Committee is to be set up to look into restarting the Pointe-A-Pierre Refinery, and a date has been given for a report to be handed over to the government.
Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
00:00The trade unions formed part of the United National Congress's election campaign
00:04and mounted the political platform of Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissassa.
00:08Well, she has mounted this at the Labor Day celebrations at the Charlie King Junction in Fisabad,
00:14announcing a plan that takes one of her campaign promises one step closer to the intention she signaled.
00:20That has to do with the reopening of the Petrotron refinery in Pointe-au-Pay.
00:25Passat-Bissassa said places like Pointe-Forte in La Brea and Fisabad
00:29depended on the refinery, apart from the 5,000-plus workers she outlined
00:34that were placed on the bread line.
00:36What we have done as a government,
00:39we have agreed to establish a committee
00:43to develop a strategy to reactivate the Guaracara refinery.
00:53Your representatives will be on that committee together with other experts.
00:59But we have to go in there and assess what is there before we can go forward.
01:06So do I have your permission to set up this committee
01:08to explore the strategies for opening that refine, reopening it?
01:13Do I have your permission?
01:15Passat-Bissassa brought with her what she said was a Cabinet note outlining the plan.
01:20She did not read it, but she did add some more details.
01:23The intent is, as I discussed with Comrade Roger,
01:26for us to put the committee in place as soon as possible,
01:30to give us a report within two months, at least within two months,
01:34an interim board for us to go forward.
01:37The Prime Minister also committed to developing a workers' agenda,
01:41which leader of the joint trade union movement, Ansel Roger, spoke more to.
01:45He said it is very much in focus and there are plans to change several aspects
01:50of what the working class is dealing with at present.
01:53The commitment to end the proliferation of contract work in the public service
01:59and statutory borders and other state enterprises.
02:04The commitment to amend labor legislation in the shortest possible time
02:10to ensure trade union successorship at key state enterprises and state agencies.
02:16He further said there is a commitment to better wage increases for workers,
02:20another one of the UNC's campaign promises.
02:23There is a commitment to settling all outstanding negotiations,
02:29starting with the offer of no less than 10 percent with the consolidation of COLA.
02:36We are all going to work.
02:38We are all going to work together and exercise whatever is necessary to ensure that that happens.
02:47And while a time frame has not been set for when this will come to fruition,
02:52President of the Public Services Association, Felicia Thomas, said
02:56she is expecting the wage increases for public servants around September or October of this year.
03:02It's around the time the new government will present its first budget to the country since being elected.
03:08Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:10Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:11Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:12Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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03:19Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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03:27Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:28Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:29Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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