TTUTA SPEAKS OUT ON ATLANTIC LNG CRISIS

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) expresses its deepest solidarity, on behalf of the nation's 14,000 teachers, with the workers of the heavy construction sector at the Atlantic LNG plant who are engaged in strike action.

TTUTA fully supports and advocates the principle of collective bargaining. It further supports the right of workers to withhold their labour and engage in strike action as a legitimate tool in such bargaining in order to secure just salaries, wages and other terms and conditions of service, as well as proper health and safety provisions.

The employers and all other parties involved in the energy sector must be prepared to engage in meaningful dialogue and negotiation as part of the collective bargaining process in order to arrive at a just and amicable settlement of the crisis.

EQUITY:

The Energy Sector has a pivotal role to play in the development of a viable, dynamic and healthy national economy. In this context everything possible must be done to foster and nurture such positive growth.

The question of equity is an essential consideration in this important issue. The profits gained from the exploration of our natural resources must benefit all sectors of the society and any just settlement must involve workers obtaining suitable rewards for their labour.

We must disabuse ourselves from the flawed theory which espouses that payment of low wages is the answer to economic viability, or which automatically links a minimum wage, a decent wage and salary increases for workers to a higher inflation rate. Rather we must understand that proper wages and salaries for all workers is one mechanism towards the just and equitable sharing of the nation's economic pie and an improved quality of life for all citizens.

WORKERS MUST NOT BE INTIMIDATED:

Workers must not be intimidated while exercising their democratic rights by way of peaceful protest. The massive presence of police and military forces posted at the Atlantic LNG compound in recent times could be perceived as tactics designed more for intimidation rather than protection.

Good sense and better judgement must prevail in circumstances like these. Such a large presence of police and military personnel can create, rather than ease tension. It serves to subvert the collective bargaining process and can be perceived as an attempt to suppress the legitimate democratic rights of citizens. Such action should not be tolerated in our society.

SOLIDARITY:

TTUTA reiterates its solidarity with the striking workers at the Atlantic LNG plant. We call for meaningful dialogue through the vehicle of the collective bargaining process towards a just and mutually acceptable settlement.

March 18, 2004