OWTU says blame Imbert if negotiations fail

Both parties were currently locked in conciliatory discussions at the Ministry of Labour’s St James Street, San Fernando offices up to late yesterday. The negotiations are for the period 2014-2017.

Speaking to reporters outside of the Ministry’s offices yesterday prior to attedning the negotiations , Roget recalled that following marathon negotiations that lasted some 14 hours and ended at 2 am on Tuesday, the company had “failed to make an offer, for us to have considered and resolved these negotiations.” “What happened following is that they were requested to go to the line Ministry and the Minister of Finance and to get a proper response,” Roget said.

“We hold the Minister of Finance accountable for what will happen next in Petrotrin, we hold the Minister of Finance accountable and responsible in total for any form of austerity measure, any form of IMF conditionality,” he said.

“And to suggest that Petrotrin did not have the authority in one way or another to offer zero-zero-zero, which coincides with his position, we think it is very deceitful for him at this point in time when it was the Minister of Finance who signalled there would be zero-zero-zero,” he added.

Roget once again reiterated the union’s willingness to initiate strike action saying they were “not prepared to go any longer than which is lawfully necessary before we call strike action.” “We don’t want to do it, but we are forced to do it, and when we do it, don’t blame us. The cost of settling these negotiations are wide and sweeping,” Roget said.

“At the appropriate time, as night would follow day, if we did not get the appropriate response, not the one before the court, this issue is not before the Court, the issue which is before the Court is the period 2011-2014,” he said.

Roget also warned that workers may boycott those businesses aligned with the San Fernando Business Association and the Penal Debe Chamber of Industry and Commerce for their statement regarding the proposed strike action saying they should instead focus on their businesses.

“To the Chamber, the San Fernando business chamber and that lady who is crying foul, tell her to back off, Chamber of Commerce, back off, Penal Debe Chamber back off,” he said, adding, “we are preparing to boycott their backside wherever they are.”