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?

Just imagine an employer taking four years to pay maternity benefits to workers who had had their roster reduced from one week on, one week off to one day on then to names not appearing on the roster.

The Industrial Court naturally found the dismissals to be harsh and oppressive, and inconsistent with the principles of good industrial relations practice...”a toxic work environment had been created by the joint employer - years before the workers’ dismissal in 2017, which justified (then) an arguable case of constructive dismissal.”

You will agree that it is a vicious employer. But the Industrial Court made reference to a joint employer situation. Lo and behold, the Joint employers are the Port Workers and Private Manning Ltd, (PWPSML) and the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union. A leading figure in both companies is Michael Anisette, President General of the Union and General Secretary of the National Trade Union Centre.

Thirteen years ago, the National Workers Union stated in a June 19th release:

“Most of the trade union leaders, not all, are unable to mobilise their members, are unable to convince them about most things, are unable to organise anything useful and have lost the respect of their members, of the employers, of the Government and of the broad masses of working people. In sum, the leadership of the Labour movement has lost credibility.

The majority of trade union leaders, not all, use their organisations not as weapons to defend, protect and advance the interests of their members and of the broader working class, but as tools of personal aggrandisement, of personal enrichment and as mechanisms to curry favour with governments, which are fiercely opposed to the advancement of the interests of the working class.”

13t March 2024