The real ‘one percent’

That society is a free market society which, while far from perfect, is the best guarantee we have of freedom and of equal opportunity for all .

No one denies there are exorbitant inequalities of wealth in our nation. It is clear that under successive government administrations, the middle class has come under more and more pressure .

The rate of inflation, rising house prices, unscrupulous practices by landlords, and historical trends relating to capital as well as a battery of archaic social practices have all played a role in ensuring that the current generation is the worst position of any generation yet when it comes to starting out in life .

This is only worsened by the perception of a closed network of people holding all the cards in the game, and the feeling that the gatekeepers have manned the gates far too well .

But such feelings and perceptions are not unique to our society: they are a feature of countries all over the world. They are behind the surge of right-wing elements within the United States of America as well as figures such as Bernie Saunders who seeks a more socialist form of government .

In this country all remain free to work hard and to safeguard their interests. As long as legal and moral lines are not crossed, the State has no business interfering in this .

Nor does any trade union or lobby group .

For what purpose would a strike of some of the most ubiquitous companies in this country’s commercial sector serve? We are in the middle of an economic recession and need these companies to be successful in order to fund the goods and services that the State provides to those who cannot afford them .

Not only does harming business endanger sources of taxation income, it furthermore threatens the employment of thousands of people. It also jeopardises the many important social outreach programmes that the private sector funds all over Trinidad and Tobago .

Instead of an ill-advised strike against the one percent, the trade unions should be lobbying for more useful things such as measures that will ensure the expansion of that one percent. For instance, the labour lobby should have a greater voice when it comes to ensuring the selling of public assets results in the widest possible ownership .

To this end, the unions would be in a better position to make such representations only if they are willing to engage in dialogue and to participate in mechanisms such as the tripartite committee set up by the Government to ensure labour has a voice in decision-making .

Blanking this committee whenever labour does not prevail is not only churlish but also a strategic blunder. If the trade unions are sincere in their desire to effect social-change in the long-run they will stick to the mechanism, thereby entrenching labour’s voice .

If it is unsatisfactory for a small proportion of people to be controlling the nation’s purse-strings, then it is equally unsatisfactory for a small group of trade unionists to be constantly threatening to shut down the State and its enterprises .

Extending the reach of this boycott action into the private sector – which citizens rely on for the goods and services which the State cannot provide – the trade unions become worse than the same one per cent they claim to be against .

Citizens and labour must support our nation. Instead of seeking to exploit racial hatred, labour should return to the table, thereby ensuring that all, and not a select few, have a voice .