FITUN in full support of an OWTU strike

FITUN said, “what is playing off in the Petrotrin case is an attempt to institute a government wage policy on the trade union movement, and, they believe that if they can be successful against the most powerful trade union in the country, then all the other unions would have to fall in line.

We wish to remind the public that another FITUN member, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), was also faced with a 0%; 0%; 0% wage offer for their 2014-2016 wage negotiations.” FITUN said it is in solidarity with the OWTU in its threat to take strike action against Petrotrin from today following the breakdown in negotiations for the periods 2011 to 2014 and 2014 to 2017. And in a statement, FITUN condemned, what it says is, the misinformation and inconsistent statements from Government spokesmen, Stuart Young (Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister) and Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the issue.

FITUN said Young has said that no directive was given to Petrotrin’s management to offer a zero percent wage increase for the two periods while Imbert said that no State body was authorised to make any offer on wage negotiations without express directions from the Inter Ministerial Negotiating Committee