Unions rejecting reality

THE EDITOR: It is now up to the OWTU membership to stop playing follow the leader as that vain game allegedly promises walking away with nothing. Members of the public have started making social media comments like allegedly asking for the Petrotrin board to go for bankruptcy.

The OWTU was once part of the development and success of TT. Why is it so difficult to face reality? Surely there is more to life than saving face? Trade unionism as practised today in TT will no longer work. There are insufficient unionised workers to sway public opinion. It is the taxpaying public who must pay the salaries of labour.

1937, 1970, 1990 are milestones in the consciences of citizens regarding progression towards economic viability and equality. There is no turning back as we will lose the impetus for making TT even better. The writing is on the wall for all to read. Petrotrin has to be refashioned. The Petrotrin refinery is a cancerous drain on a struggling third world economy existing in a world that is in recession.

Some prayers cannot be answered if they are for vainglorious and selfish reasons. The average working man/woman in TT is far more educated than in 1937, 1970 and 1990. The year 2018 will be recorded as the most uplifting if meaningful trade unionism is to survive into the future. It will allegedly depend on the actions of the workforce and not the trade union leaders.

The workers most affected must be strong, resilient and patient and must have faith in a government that has promised to cushion the blows surrounding inevitable change. The union leaders do not have the goodwill of the banks to loan them money. You cannot walk away from billions of dollars in debt.

The blue collar workers must decide for themselves the route to be taken for eventual long term prosperity for the entire country. Marching is counterproductive and words are nothing but wind. Think for yourselves. Obviously, you cannot eat wind.

Lynette Joseph, Diego Martin