Workers suffer again

PRESIDENT of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC), Ro-bert Giuseppi yesterday stated that the economic policies adopted by the government were putting workers in jeopardy.

Giuseppi was res-ponding to reporters on the issue of the possible retrenchment of workers at BWIA, following a press conference held at City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain Wednes-day. Giuseppi noted that for the last ten years, NATUC has been saying that the economic policies of government after government, continued to put workers in jeopardy. On the issue of BWIA, Giuseppi stated that the issue had to be addressed from a different perspective than what is happening today or what happened yesterday.  He lashed out at UNC politicians, who he said have jumped on the band-wagon, to try to make some political mileage off of BWIA. He advised that they should look at the economic policies that they themselves followed when they were in power. Economic policies that seemed to state, that the private sector is a God send, and is able to solve all the economical problems in Trinidad and Tobago.

Asked if he thought that Chief Executive Officer of BWIA Con-rad Aleong was being used as a scape-goat by the politicians, Giuseppi replied, “even if Aleong is a scape-goat, he is a rich one. It is the workers that are suffering.” “If Conrad Aleong has to go, he will be a millionaire, if the workers have to go, they leave penniless. This is what we call Industrial execution,” Giuseppi said. He advised the government to look at the BWIA issue in the context of “who is suffering from this” and not take the issue and sensationalise it in the media. “Looking at it in the more global context, privatisation has failed. Government has incited on following this type of policy and failed. Following, the World Bank and the IMF have not worked for Trinidad and Tobago.”

Giuseppi also stated that contract work is another option that will not work. “Public enterprises, public services and public operations and functions must be done by public paid employees, and government has to take the responsibility to make it a success. “If the private sector employers think they can make it a success, then why can’t the business men in public sector make it a success,” questioned Giuseppi. He pointed out that the only time enterprises such as WASA got into problems, was when politicians interfered and created problems. He stated, “these things constantly occurred because the government was blindly following an economic policy that was not good for the working class people, and developing countries like Trinidad and Tobago.”