Daily paid workers still begging for pension plan

THE EDITOR: We are into 41 years of the country’s independence and I cannot resist asking Government daily paid workers: “How you feel” having to beg successive Governments for a pension plan for the past 42 years without success to date. Is this an example of the justice less privileged people can expect from Caribbean governments and their Court of Justice? By any standard, negotiations between the State and the union is a ridiculous record in the practice of industrial relations in TT that will be hard to break. The history of GDP workers go way back into the 1930s but its most colourful and dynamic chapters are between 1957 and 1967 under the leadership of the National Union of Government Employees (NUGE) that was formed to represent “only” GDP workers.

As I have stated in a previous letter, the formation of the union in 1957 was in keeping with the dream of former GDP workers to be recognised, respected and treated as daily-rated public servants with job security and a pension plan. That dream was shattered in 1967 with the merging of the Federated Workers Trade Union (FWTU) and NUGE. For clarification, the merger created the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) that did not exist before June 4, 1967. The first call for a pension plan was made in 1957 at the inaugural convention of NUGE. The PNM Government under the leadership of Dr Eric Williams responded positively in 1961 that put pensions for GDP workers on the negotiating agenda. Some five years later, the Queen of England visited Trinidad and made pensions for GDP workers a royal promise via her throne speech in our Parliament. There is a lot of history between the Queen’s visit in 1966 and the ill-conceived merger between FWTU and NUGE in 1967 that space will not allow to be stated.

Contrary to the views of many union leaders who lean towards maximum leadership, the unadulterated historical record of any union that will inform its membership of the good, the bad and the ugly, will always serve the union’s interest as a valuable incentive and contribution to its future development — a difficult yet serious aspect of trade union education. The irony of GDP workers’ 42 years of State discrimination is the very interesting but ugly chapter of their history that must not go unnoticed. Sometime within the 42 years of waiting for a pension plan, the “misleaders” who destroyed the dream of former GDP workers were given national Independence Awards by the State — who is the employer of the workers being discriminated against — for their contribution to the development of the trade union movement, while the workers were left holding the bag of expectation and hope to this day.

In the interest of its colonial culture, State turned “betrayal” into “development” and I often wonder how much is known about the history of hourly-rated workers employed with Government. Are GDP workers of today aware that the introduction, or preamble if you like, to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago was included following its submission to Government in 1962 by the leadership of NUGE on behalf of GDP workers and by extension, the labour movement? Do they know that long before our independence, the colours of NUGE’s flag was red, white and black and its official uniform for the men was comprised of a white shirt, black pants and a red tie? For the women it was white blouse, black skirt and the union’s red monogram. The general rule was that no union representative outside the workplace must approach employers or their representatives without being properly attired in uniform. The union’s policy and commitment was to build self-esteem among the workers, show respect and demand it from Government and its representatives. Generally, however, the social and industrial relations systems do not favour blue-collar workers and it is the job of trade unions to change that divisive culture.

I am very concerned about the state of union leadership at the national level. However, there is always hope because “time” and “change” have an ongoing relationship that really works. In my vision, I see that somewhere down the road towards vision 2020, the labour movement will regret its retrograde policy towards the industrial relations concerns of the doctors and Caroni workers. The leadership has once again failed to unite the working class in order to satisfy their own political interest and ambition. Leadership is foresight, commitment, keeping the movement on track and helping to put wrong decisions of workers right, in the interest of unity and strength at the national level of the movement. In the early history of NUGE, there was a policy that kept ambitious trade union politicians at bay: At every convention of the union, the delegates had to approve a “Declaration of Policy” that must be followed by the National General Council between conventions. However, within four years of the union’s ten years of existence, the policy no longer appeared on the agenda of conventions, but that is another long story about leadership and misleadership of GDP workers.

WYCLIFFE MORRIS
Former Director of Education
NUGFW