CWU: TSTT fired four workers

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) is calling on TSTT to immediately fire its executive vice president of human resources, industrial relations and corporate services, Carol David, after she sent dismissal letters to four workers.

More than 300 workers were told they would be redeployed at other sites after TSTT closed several of its retail stores.

At a press conference yesterday at CWU’s headquarters on Henry Street, Port of Spain, one of the dismissed workers, Ryanne Toussaint, said she signed her letter of redeployment under duress.

“I was fired today, because I signed my letter under duress. They are saying I did not accept the one and only position they had offered me. I am a single-parent mother with two children and I worked at TSTT for the past 17 years as a cashier. This is very unfair, because I was given the position as a ‘helpdesk support.’ They asked for the letter to be signed within seven days and I signed the letter stating that I am signing under duress because I was not given a job description, I was not given a salary, and the time I had to work.”

Toussaint said other employees were given positions and were told that if they did not take the positions they could consider themselves “constructively resigned.”

CWU’s general secretary Clyde Elder said some of the workers accepted the letters of redeployment without prejudice to their various positions and under duress.

He said of the employees who accepted the letters, the company issued letters to them yesterday letting them know that effective immediately, their services are no longer needed.

“Despite all of the assurances TSTT have given the public, government, workers and the union that no one will be sent home, as of now at least four people have been dismissed so far. There are some employees who did not come out today, and we are not sure if that number is going to increase.

“I have made calls to the CEO and to the chairman of TSTT letting them know we are very angry at this point in time. This is an all-out declaration of war against the union and against workers. If it is war you want, it is war we are going to give you. We are not afraid of war. We preferred not to go that route, but as much as we are on that route, the battle is on,” Elder said.