NWU News & Views
Thomas-Felix And The Class Struggle
So they finally get rid of the little black girl from Mayaro who was bold face enough to threaten the Chamber hotshots with contempt of Court; who took seriously her charge to ensure that in her Court the principles and practices of “good industrial relations” were observed and who resisted political pressure. More ...
International Women's Day in Port of Spain
Celebrations marking International Women's Day in our capital were notably muted. Not that the issues highlighted have been addressed. The opposite one might easily assume. A cursory look at any media outlet reports missing young women, attacks on the elderly, and domestic violence. Then there is the organised collective begging/hustling/panhandling/solicitation as the ranks of the unemployed swell, and women, as always, have to manage the situation for the families. Our prisons are filled with young men. More ...
Talk About Conflict of Interest
How many of us still wonder why the trade union leaderships in this country have lost all credibility among their members and the wider working class? More ...
Winning for workers
This summarises recent matters settled by the Union bilaterally, at the Ministry of Labour or the Industrial Court. Where there is a Court judgment, we will link to it.
York Garments Limited
14.03.24 - The worker was retrenched in 2020, and all she wanted was her severance money. The Company refused to give her the statutory 45 days' notice and then wanted to pay her severance in tranches of $1,500 a month. It took four years, but the Industrial Court awarded the worker her statutory severance benefits, her 45 days notice and an additional $15,000 because of the Company's conduct. So, the worker is now due to get $66,728.60.
Khan's Gold Design Ltd
13.03.24 - The worker was sent home during COVID-19 and never called back to work despite writing on more than one occasion to clarify her status. The Union argued this was effectively a dismissal. The matter was settled in conciliation in the Industrial Court, and the worker will be paid $105,000.
A Shy Employer
13.03.24 - Some guilty employers insist on confidentiality clauses in settlements. This employer should have gone through proper procedures before dismissing this worker. In a Consent Order (that is, a voluntary agreement between the parties) in the Industrial Court, the employer conceded they had not followed good industrial relations practice and agreed to pay the worker $165,000.
Lafast Motors Limited
12.03.24 - The worker was retrenched without consultation as required by the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act. In conciliation in the Industrial Court, it was agreed that the worker would be paid damages of $50,000.
Caribbean Labour News
A national of Jamaica, Ms Robinson was born on 24 October 1955. In June 2003, she joined the ILO Caribbean Office as the first female Specialist for Workers’ Activities and worked tirelessly to support trade unions leading up to her retirement in October 2017. More ...
International
FREE PALESTINE
Israel-Palestine conflict: A brief history
Palestinian Red Crescent Society
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
A decision by the ILO’s Governing Body opens the way for new work by the ILO on the estimation and operationalisation of living wages and on engaging with living wage initiatives. Read More
International Women's Day - 8th March
Forget the chocolates and flowers. International Women's Day was the product of struggle. Clara Zetkin, an early pioneer in the struggle for women's rights, made a series of demands in 1923, which, even in 2024, have yet to be achieved.
"Equal wages for equal work, and adequate provision for the unemployed, man or woman. Eight hour day, free Saturday afternoon, legal protection for working women, adult or youthful, and the extension of this protection to all wage workers. Strict measures against usurious prices, control of production, distribution, and prices by workers’ councils, by control committees composed of consumers and housewives. Comprehensive and effectual protection for mothers, infants, and children; social provision for the old, invalid, or war-disabled which is compatible with human dignity; exemption of productive workers from taxation, taxation of the propertied classes by means of confiscation of real values, and by compulsory loans. Security of the rights of organization and striking, full political and social rights for all women. Immediate release of all imprisoned revolutionary fighters."