Dookeran to set time for Panday talks

Panday said on Sunday that he intended to write a letter to Dookeran and his response would determine if it was possible to mend the fences between the two wrangling factions of the UNC. Panday said he was writing the letter because he has not been successful in getting definite answers from Dookeran.

Last week, Nirad Tiwarie, Dookeran’s spokesman, said the UNC Political Leader would meet with Panday for their second unity talk “within 72 hours.”

However, the meeting did not materialise. At a press conference yesterday, Dookeran, when asked when he would meet Panday, only said he had not agreed on any time. However, he called the press conference after he held “rich” discussions, he said, with president of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC), Robert Guiseppi, at Total Safety Management, Alcazar Street, St Clair.

Dookeran said the meeting was the beginning of dialogue with the labour movement and it followed recent meetings with the farming community. Dookeran said he and Guiseppi discussed the future agenda of labour and the current issues affecting it.

He said the current wage situation was a major aspect of their talks. He said the best way to manage the economy was to organise a social compact between government, labour, civil and other sectors of the country.

“The economic forces in the country are somewhat out of control. The management of the economy is woefully out of sync with the needs of the people,” Dookeran said. “The issues of wages and prices will be major problems.

I did forewarn in Parliament a few years ago that the number one problem Government would be facing would be inflation.”

Dookeran said the gap between the rich and not so rich is increasing and noted that there’s a “delusion” of wealth since it is not being felt by certain sections of the population.

He said his discussions with the labour movement will form part of an action plan he intended to present to government, and hopefully implement in due course.

Guiseppi said, “NATUC will speak to everybody. We support the workers and the common people. A trade union motto is, maximise your friends and minimise your enemies.”