Trinidad and Tobago: Carib Brewery requested by NUGFW to pay top dollars to its workers
If the Carib Brewery could pay top dollars for machines-$166 million-, they must be prepared to pay top dollars for human beings they will be putting on the breadline. Trinidad Express communicates on October 13 that these were the words of National Union of Government and Federated Workers president general, Robert Giuseppi, on October12, as he addressed a press briefing on the breakdown of retrenchment talks between the union and Carib Brewery management.
Mr. Giuseppi stated that the whole factory was closed on Monday amidst tight security, "because they said the people might sabotage" and separation letters handed to workers, effectively giving them 45 days notice. Negotiations between the union and Carib have gone sour, Giuseppi explained, because Carib has offered minimum compensation packages and it is "their unwillingness to look at adequate compensation" that has bitterly angered the NUGFW.
"If you want to get rid of workers it must cost you and this union is going to make sure it costs Carib a big set of money to get rid of workers...they spared no cost in terms of getting that equipment... so they could be more competitive. They must pay the workers enhanced benefits," Giuseppi stressed. The NUGFW president general told reporters: "After the first round of discussions we boiled it down to 67 workers...they thought they could get away with 147 workers."
In conformity with Mr.Giuseppi’s statement, since last year's landmark judgement by the industrial courts, where Carib workers were given 18 and 21 per cent increases after a fierce battle with the union, workers who are also members of the union have been targeted by the company's management to be laid off.
"After the landmark judgement, if a union representative took time off to see about workers grievances...to represent workers either at the Ministry of Labour, at the plant or even at the Courts... they were not paid. They are trying to get us by any means possible."
Mr. Giuseppi said as well that there was a move to try to get NUGFW out of Carib and bring in another union. The briefing was held at NUGFW's Henry Street Port of Spain head offices.
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