Panday: Unions must get political power

“I think it is an expression that the labour movement feels excluded from the political processes,” Panday said. “But the answer is, and it is more deeper than boycott, they must get political power.

He was speaking with reporters after the installation of a new executive of the Penal/Debe Chamber of Commerce at Fun Splash Water Park, Debe on Wednesday last week.

Panday recalled it was during his 1995- 2001 term in office he had introduced a concept known as “tripartitism” in which members of labour, business and government would sit on state boards and solve any problems which may hinder the efficient operations of the various enterprises.

“And the new government took it over but they don’t understand it. They think businessmen and labour and government should sit down around a table and talk...no, no, no, it is not that at all.

“In the State corporations, we would appoint a businessman, we’ll appoint a government representative and we’ll appoint labour. So when there is a problem in the business, they are not coming to the government, they are there to solve the problem themselves,” he said, adding, “The PNM does not understand the concept of tripartitism and that’s why they are in trouble with the labour movement.” Meanwhile, in a hard-hitting maiden address, incoming Chamber president Rampersad Sieuraj said the chamber could not sit idly by and allow the nation to become a failed state and called on members to send their proposals for the 2017/2018 budget so they could be included in their proposals to the minister of finance.

“Can anyone say with confidence that they have confidence in the economy of Trinidad and Tobago?” he asked.

He said the Chamber would raise such issues as crime and its consequential cost to businesses as well as the inability to access foreign exchange by small and medium sized businesses while large businesses seemed to have no such problem in accessing forex.

He said such projects such as the UWI Debe campus, the Penal fire station and the Shiva Boys and Parvati Girls Hindi Colleges had to be completed as this would stimulate growth in the region.