00:00Speaking on the TV6 Morning Edition, Secretary General of the Communication Workers Union,
00:06Joanne Ojeir, says the claims of racism are unfounded,
00:11questioning Minister Padarath on how union concerns could be interpreted as causing division.
00:18Minister Padarath has to understand, constructive criticism does not redound to criminality.
00:25Dissent is not disloyalty. And this is what this government is doing.
00:31From the minute you speak out, you are seen as an alliance to the PNM.
00:36Ojeir stresses that unions have a constitutional right to protest and tells us expressing worker concerns cannot be treated as
00:46an attack on government,
00:47adding that government is using political power against unions.
00:52It's a failed SOE being used to try to grapple crime, or at least balance crime, which is not working.
01:00But the main focus of the SOE by this government is to suppress and oppress workers.
01:07Meanwhile, President of the TT National Nursing Association, Edie Stewart,
01:12describes the minister's comments as inflammatory, vile and vicious,
01:17saying it's really hurting the workers who have gone without wage increases since 2013.
01:23He tells the Morning Edition the minister's accusations of racism cannot go unchallenged.
01:30For the association, we would want Mr. Padarath to be on a stand and demonstrate to our judge
01:37where did he get that TTRN is racist, TTRN is prejudiced, TTRN is aligned with the PNM.
01:45He would have to prove that. And we would give him that day in court to prove that.
01:50Stewart tells us if the minister feels threatened by the word protest,
01:55the unions will no longer protest in front of their homes.
01:58And I'm saying it on public TV, the association is not going to protest
02:04Barry's Padarath House or any minister's house.
02:07What we will do, what we will consider going forward, is campaigning in front of their house.
02:14We know they have come to our house to influence us for their votes on a continuous basis.
02:21I live in a marginal. You would not see more campaigning in front of a person's house other than a
02:28marginal.
02:28The TTNNA president said correspondents would have been sent to the prime minister today
02:34in an effort to resolve the restriction zone issue.
02:38Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
Comments