New political party to seek sugar workers interest

The new political party, the National Solidarity Assembly (NSA), yesterday signaled its intention to contest the constituencies of Pointe-a-Pierre; Couva North; Couva South; Caroni Central and Oropouche East and West. All of the constituencies are presently held by the People’s Partnership administration. The five former sugar-base constituencies — Couva North, Couva South; Caroni Central and Oropouche East and West, are held by UNC parliamentarians while Pointe-a-Pierre’s parliamentary representative is former labour leader Errol McLeod who won the seat on a Movement for Social Justice ticket.

The announcement was made by All Trinidad General Workers’ Trade Union (ATGWTU’s) president general, Nirvan Maharaj who said yesterday that the NSA was comprised of the ATGWTU, the Sugar Boilers Association, and the Ex-Caroni Workers Association.

Maharaj said:

“We have decided to come together under the banner of the National Solidarity Assembly and we are going to give ex-Caroni workers the chance. We are going to ask them whether we should continue the struggle on behalf of them or not, and, come 2015, when general elections are called, the National Solidarity Assembly will be contesting seats in the sugar belt in order to give the ex-Caroni workers a choice as to whether they want us to continue on.” Yesterday’s press conference was held at Rienzi complex, Couva headquarters in Couva.

Saying that the struggle of the ex-Caroni workers was now a political one, Maharaj explained that the deadline of October 31, 2014 for the settlement of all monetary issues had “long come and gone.” Settling of all land issues including infra-structural development, was also long past, he added. “After four and a half years of a Partnership government, a government supported by the ex-Caroni workers, there are still thousands of people entitled to a VSEP package who are still to get their just due, that is, residential and two acre plots. We are fed up,” said Maharaj.

He said the union had been informed that over 2,700 ex-Caroni workers who had already been allocated residential lots were expected to lose these lots because the Government now wants to relocate them. “Our information is that the Government is intent on taking away these lands from the ex-Caroni workers,” he said.