Court order halts TTUTA

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) has been hog-tied by an Industrial Court injunction stopping all teachers from participating  in any industrial action. The injunction granted yesterday evening has put a stop to TTUTA’s  “rest and reflection” action planned for today. This means that teachers will have to supervise a national examination for Standard One and Three primary schools students scheduled for today. The examinations will be Mathematics and Language Arts. If TTUTA wants to discharge the injunction, they will have to give 72 hours notice before attempting to do so before the court. The ex-parte injunction was granted by vice president of the Industrial Court, Gladys Gafoor, and member Vernon Ashby to the Minister of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development,  Anthony Roberts.

Ironically, Roberts and Education Minister Hazel Manning, the two substantive ministers who are directly affected by TTUTA industrial action, are out of the country attending a parliamentary conference in New Zealand. Acting for Manning is Minister Colm Imbert and for Roberts, Minister Franklyn Khan. TTUTA president Trevor Oliver vowed on Thursday last, at a meeting at Harris Promenade in San Fernando, that there would be no national test for primary school students unless Chief Personnel Officer Narieman Ahamad-Hosein complies with the recommendation of a salary market study which her office conducted for teachers.

The order warned that teachers currently engaged in negotiations with the CPO for improved remuneration and or terms and  conditions of employment with the Government be restrained from taking and/or continuing to take industrial action. The order further enjoined and restrained TTUTA president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, trustees, officers and members employed by the Government from “taking, continuing to take or threatening to take any such industrial action.” Workers or teachers of the Government and members of TTUTA were also ordered that they must restrain from taking such action or “participating howsoever otherwise in any industrial action.” Arguing the case for the Government were attorney Reginald Armour SC leading Neil Byam, and Avyann Ferguson instructed by Deowattee Dilraj. In securing the order, Government filed three affidavits sworn to by Selby Brathwaite, Harrilal Seecharan and Angela Jack. If TTUTA wants to vary the injunction and have it discharged, they will have to give Dilraj 72 hours notice.