JTUM/FITUN: Chamber playing politics

THE Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) and the Federation of Independnent Trade Unions and NGOs (FITUN) yesterday accused the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce of acting like a “political group” which “seems bent on the destruction of the Industrial Court and the trade union movement.”

In a statement, JTUM and FITUN said the Chamber’s statement about “re-shaping our industrial relations climate” is worthy of “a stinging response.”

They said this statement reflects “nothing more than total selfish class interests being perpetuated against workers, trade unions and a major pillar of industrial relations in the nation.”

JTUM and FITUN said the “backward unitarist approach” of changing industrial labour laws to favour businesses and take employment rights from workers had thrown a wrench into the works of tripartite consultations which have been conducted over the last three years under Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus. Noting the Chamber is represented on the National Tripartite Council and the Industrial Relations Advisory Council, JTUM and FITUN said the Chamber had never made such a call in any of the numerous tripartite consultations since the People’s National Movement assumed office in September 2015.

They accused the Chamber of hypocrisy and being undemocratic.

JTUM and FITUN recalled that an executive member of the Chamber is currently before the Industrial Court on charges of contempt relating to utterances made at a Chamber breakfast meeting. They vowed to continue to monitor “this ongoing campaign being conducted by the Chamber of Commerce simultaneously against the Industrial Court and the trade unions."