Trade union leaders need to wake up

THE EDITOR: What can your trade union do for you that you cannot do for yourself? Can they prevent your getting laid off if the employer cannot afford to pay you? Did they promise you employment for life once you faithfully pay your monthly dues? A lifetime in one job?

Even if you do not turn up on time? Even if your lunch hour straddles two plus hours? Even if you regularly leave early because you have something more personally important to see about?

This is little TT, once so oil wealthy that both in government and private enterprise, the workforce took an excellent idea called trade unionism and made it into a weapon that has now become blunt. Yes, all workers should be ably compensated and treated respectfully if and when it can be done.

Without sufficient money in the Treasury to throw around, the sitting government is being named and shamed by someone educated to know better, as being anti-trade union and anti-working class. How political and anti-good governance can you be? Trade union leaders need to take stock. Explain to the workers why suddenly everything is not hunky dory. No worker can be sent home because your union leader says so? Who is playing at being powerfully stupid?

Is it that the time has arrived for trade unions to realise that the most they can do is negotiate good, fair compensation packages for all members? They cannot guarantee a retrenchment free life when the only certainty in life, is death. The function/remit of a trade union does not include holding society to ransom. It must not attempt to suppress gainful progress because of the use of new technology.

This year 2018, is the year that trade unionism in TT must wake up and smell the truth. It will set everybody free of blatant intimidation for selfish reasons. The tail cannot, should not and will not be allowed to wag the dog. End of story!

LYNETTE JOSEPH, Diego Martin