Cable & Wireless to control TSTT ?

Cable & Wireless has a 49 percent stake in TSTT, with the Government holding the 51 percent majority.

The union also attempted to impress on Manning its concerns about “deceptive efforts” to sever thousands of TSTT employees, which the union said were contrary to the Government’s promise of full employment by 2007.

After the short meeting, CWU president Lyle Townsend told the media that Manning said the Government had discussed the TSTT issue but had not made a decision on how to tackle it.

“The PM was very polite in deflecting the issue onto the man in charge of that area, Public Administration and Information (Minister), Dr Lenny Saith,” Townsend said.

The union met with Manning at his invitation, but noted they have been trying over the “recent years” to get a meeting with him. The last written request was on February 14.

Townsend said they had reports of Cable & Wireless seeking to cut its staff worldwide, and he claimed TSTT is attempting to adopt the same policy.

“The Prime Minister was making a point about a great reduction in employment, but I don’t know where he got his figures from. Apparently, there’s something Government knows that we don’t know,” the union president said.

He then sounded a grim warning, “If Cable & Wireless takes control of TSTT, this would mean a massive haemorrhaging of our patrimony. Cable & Wireless, according to reports, plans to cut down its single line customer base and focus on serving large customers. And this is what is going to happen here if they take control of TSTT.”

Townsend said he also expressed concern about charges of “union busting by TSTT.”

Townsend said the union told Manning of “willful attempts by TSTT to antagonise its own employees...in order to create an unstable industrial climate at the company, as they seek to eliminate all aspects of representation by the CWU.”

“We told the PM that last Tuesday, the Cable & Wireless offensive assumed new proportions when TSTT, with a battery of highly paid consultants, including a former labour minister, boldly attempted to manipulate due process by seeking to involve the Labour Ministry and shunning ongoing bilateral negotiations to the Industrial Court.”

The union president said he did not raise the issue of competition against TSTT because “TSTT is well-positioned to withstand competition.”