Unions, leave the media alone

THE EDITOR: The Joint Trade Union Movement's (JTUM) leaders and supporters need to blame themselves if the movement is deemed unpopular. Leave out the media from your attacks.

Newspapers worldwide publish events as they happen. I am unaware of any established local news media harbouring any particular hate or agenda against any of our trade unions.

Is it that no one is allowed to say that any trade union is being unreasonable? That a government must cough up whatever percentage salary increase is demanded, just because the trade unions say so? Even if the economy is facing difficulties?

I was a proud member of my British trade union.

In fact, one was encouraged to join a union immediately upon starting employment. I was totally supported when keeping on track with my performance appraisal. You did not automatically get an increase unless you met the standard.

My trade union made suggestions regarding my general behaviour and you were sent to remedial classes as necessary. Does JTUM work along these lines?

It is my view that generally, local trade unions focus solely on wage agreements. Is this the only thing they can do, or should be doing?

One is left with the impression that regardless of the state of the economy, wages must be paid according to the dictates of the JTUM, and if not, all hell breaks loose. There could be a pandemic, there could be a war, there can be global recession, in TT all workers must come first and the devil take the hindmost.

I'm not saying it was always like that with our unions. They played a critical role in ensuring the rights of labour back in the days of – and thanks to – "Buzz" Butler, Kola Rienzi, Weekes and former PM Panday. Those days are over.

Being unnecessarily contentious will not make trade unions popular. And taking the media to task for merely doing their jobs, does not help either.

We are sorely in need of foreign investment. TT must be a serious turn-off if investors have to kow-tow to the dictates of an intractable trade union movement.

Who can ever forget a trade union man telling an oil company: "Take your rigs and go!" And they went. It was not funny, it was downright ignorant.

Remember too that at the height of the pandemic, when the term furlough became popular, all public servants were paid and not laid off or furloughed. You know what word is apparently very popular? Ingratitude.

So don't blame the media if trade unions are no longer popular.

In this modern age, with robots replacing humans, why play at being powerfully stupid?

Besides, why not just do like the Opposition and contact the Privy Council? Let's hear what the Privy Council has to say about these wage demands. It might be interesting.

LYNETTE JOSEPH

Diego Martin