General manager of Trinidad Cement (TCL) Satnarine Bachew said yesterday that some striking works have responded to the company’s invitation for individual negotiations and return to work.
Letters outlining the company’s terms and conditions were sent to 600 employees. Bachew said: “The employees have been responding to the offer and we continue to get responses from employees.”
Ancel Roget, president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), has rejected the company’s latest attempt to get workers back on the job.
Workers went on strike action on February 27, and on Monday, TCL initiated lock-out action, citing possible financial ruin as a result of the strike, which has resulted in cement production halting at the factory.
The company has begun importing cement from its facilities in Barbados and Jamaica to supply local demand.
TCL has also appealed to Labour Minister Errol McLoed to intervene in the djspute.? However, McLeod has advised that he can only intervene in the impasse between the OWTU and TCL, if the parties both request the Ministry’s intervention.
The OWTU served strike notice following a breakdown in wage negotiations on February 27. The union rejected the company’s proposal of 6.5 per cent, demanding a 16 per cent increase over a three-year negotiating period.
Roget said he was willing to return to the bargaining table if the company was prepared to increase its offer.
Source: Trinidad & Tobago Express
