Give us a stake in restructured port

Michael Annisette, the outspoken president-general of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers’ Trade Union, is making a case for his union having a stake in the restructured port. He took the view that under privatisation, major stakeholders like the union, and the Shipping Association must be allocated shares in the new entity. He said it was a formula that has been used in ports across the globe. “No amount of restructuring  can bring about efficiency and productivity on the port, unless they come up with a plan to include this,” he said, referring to management in a recent  interview with Business Day.

Annisette admitted that the port has been plagued over the years with a lot of operational inefficiencies and a lack of sustainable productivity. “The reason for that has to do more with the under funding by the Government and their inability to act to facilitate the astronomical growth of cargo containers over the last ten years,” he said. He said the land space has not increased to meet the growth of containers and as a result of that, “we are having a lot of inefficiencies and operational nightmares.” He referred to Invaders Bay which he said is being driven by private enterprise and commercial development but the port’s operations are suffering as a result.

He noted that the port has transformed from a break bulk operation to a containerised meaning that the traditional sheds alongside which vessels used to be tied up are no longer required. “It is important that you have sufficient land to accommodate your increase in cargo.   And we have not been planning for the growth of the containers.  So that when you take away prime port land space, you are contributing to the congestion, the inefficiencies and the high cost of living in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. It means, he said when you have inefficiencies in any port operations, costs are passed on to the consumer. “It is not a worker problem, but one that falls flat in the laps of the government and management of the port.”

Annisette stressed that the Seamen’s union had no problem or issue with an efficient and productive port. The union’s concern is when management attempts to squeeze out the workers, and make them the sacrificial lambs of privatisation. “We believe strongly that we have the capacity and ability to manage the port and make it profitable and efficient. What is required are the tools to do it,” he said. He said at a recent meeting between the union, the Minister of Works and Transport, the Divestment Secretariat and a technical team pertinent questions were asked, but no positive answers were given. Annisette welcomed the idea of restructuring the port but warned that the union will not go away. Among the questions he wants answered are : In the restructured port, where the proposal is for six companies  to operate, what will happen to the collective agreement that the union has with the Port Authority.

“Would the collective agreement be assigned to the workers who would be going over to these companies. In addition, “Will the union be given successorship with these new companies, in order to represent the interest of these workers or will the union be de-certified by virtue of the fact that the contract and recognition we have is with the Port Authority will be null and void,” he said. The union also wanted to know the amount of workers the new companies will have on a permanent basis, and how many people will in fact be leaving the Port Authority. He also wants to know whether a manpower evaluation was carried out to determine if there are other mechanisms that can be used.

Annisette said Singapore is one of the most successful ports in the Asian region and believed that lessons can be learnt from them. He said what impressed him there was the collaborate approach between business, labour and government. About the fact that his union will be dealing with Minister Colm Imbert who has replaced Franklin Khan in a Cabinet reshuffle, Annisette said,   “Imbert, a former Minister of Works and Transport is no stranger to that environment.  It should be much easier for him to assimilate all issues affecting the port.