Customs management meets Wednesday to deal with data entry issue

A meeting carded for last Friday between Ralph Newton, Comptroller of Customs and NUGFW official, Krishna Deonarine, with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Sandra Marchack as mediator was postponed at the last moment.

The meeting was called to try and settle the matter regarding the dismissal of the 40 Data Entry Operators from Customs House earlier last week. Deonarine said though, that he has since got confirmation from Newton that the latter, together with the entire Customs management will meet 2.30 pm Wednesday  at the CPO’s office. In the meantime, the Union met with their lawyers who have advised them  that they have an option to either file an injunction to stop the current action taken by Customs management or they can file an IRO (Industrial Relations Offence) in the Industrial Court against management for not meeting and treating with them. They can as well, file an IRO for wrongful dismissal of the 40 Data Entry Operators.

However, in light of Newton’s confirmation to meet with the union at the CPO’s office this week, Deonarine stated that they will hold off on any legal action pending the outcome of the meeting. “We are giving them the option to meet with us and reinstate the workers,” he said. The NUGFW official also said that certain companies who have been calling him are of the view that they are taking industrial action, but said he wanted to make it quite clear, that is not the case. “It is Customs that fired the workers,” he said. Deonarine added: “We just got information from a reliable source that Customs is negotiating with TTMA  (Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers Association) because they want to contract out the data entry operations to the TTMA. But the union will not stand up and take that!”

Asked to respond to the charge, TTMA’s president Anthony Hosang emphatically stated: “Absolutely no truth in that. I know nothing about that”. When contacted Friday, a hurrying Newton stated that he was on his way out of the office to meet with Junior Finance Minister Conrad Enill, and as such was not in a position to say anything on the ongoing impasse. Since the sacking of the workers, the business community has been on edge. The Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Custom Brokers and clients have all expressed grave concern about the situation. They all fear severe losses with some already feeling the pinch.