The Port of Port of Spain. - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers
Operations at the port of Port of Spain have resumed, but port workers say they are very unhappy.
Port Authority (PATT) commissioner and chairman Lyle Alexander on November 20, confirmed in a brief conversation, that the port was up and running. “The workers came out at the port today. We have full operations,” he said.
Newsday visited and saw workers entering and leaving the port. Dressed in bright orange PPE with reflective strips, they could be seen walking along Dock Road.
But the workers remain disgruntled with some saying while they are at work, if there is any safety hazard, they will down tools.
“There are workers here,” said one worker who didn’t want to be named. “The injunction said they had to come out and perform their duties, but at the same time there are several health and safety issues.
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“If what you have to do is a safety hazard, you have the right to stop working, nuh so? Therefore, you will not be penalised. If there are any (health and safety) issues, we will call and make a recording of it.”
Another said the workers were very upset that they had to work under poor conditions.
“They ‘toting feelings’ (are angry) right now,” the worker said.
“It feels like they don’t really care about what the workers think. They are more like, 'this is yuh wuk, this is what yuh have to do.”
As Newsday left, a worker got out a car, and loudly gave his intention to work to rule.
“Two o'clock is two-o'-f--king-clock eh! I ain’t going in no half-past one,” the angry worker said, adding that he also intends to leave work on the very minute his tour of duty ends.
Port workers began protesting in August over stalled wage negotiations and what they denounced as significant health and safety issues at the port. Protests spread to the Tobago port in Scarborough in October.
The workers and their union, the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU), were hauled before the Industrial Court on November 19, when president of the court Heather Seale granted the Port Authority an injunction ordering the workers back to work pending the hearing and determination of an industrial relations offence case by the court.
After the injunction was granted, the PATT said in a release that legal action had to be taken after workers repeatedly failed to report for work amid the wage negotiations.
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Rambally: Mediate the matter
MP for Chaguanas West Dinesh Rambally called for the port and its workers to settle their dispute through mediation in the Industrial Court.
In a statement on Wednesday, Rambally said the dispute and subsequent disruptions at the port had affected thousands of businesses and livelihoods across the country.
"The disruptions at the port are not just a labour issue, they are a national issue. Thousands of small businesses depend on smooth operations at the port, especially during this critical holiday season. Prolonged instability will have ripple effects, threatening supply chains and economic recovery."
He said the fact that the industrial court used a five-member panel, instead of the usual three-member panel to judge on PATT's applications for an injunction shows that the Industrial Court is taking the matter seriously.
"The Industrial Court has fiercely independent and expert judges with the authority to mediate and this process could pave the way for a fair, mutually beneficial solution," he said.
