Military at Port of Spain port

GIVEN the serious role of the Defence Force, the involvement of military personnel in the operations of the Port Authority of TT (PATT) requires some clarification.

By way of a media release dated October 8, the authority confirmed the Defence Force had given assistance in offloading approximately 500 vehicles.

It described the circumstances precipitating this intervention as “a shortage of labour,” but days before, on October 2, a separate authority bulletin spoke merely of “the unavailability of the full complement of labour.”

The latter phrasing seemed to underplay the impact of unionised port workers walking off the job amid an impasse over stalled pay negotiations and working conditions.

How the Defence Force came to be at the scene, whether the authority’s hand was forced and to what degree should be ventilated in greater detail.

The deployment of military personnel, at a time when crime continues to present a great threat to public order and when there remain calls for collaboration between law enforcement and troops, is a matter of relevance to the country at large.

We need to know exactly how serious the situation became, how many were deployed, and whether any cost was incurred.

In a statement on October 13, the National Trade Union Centre (Natuc) alleged, without providing details of its own, the move “undermined the principles of fair labour relations and collective bargaining but also sets a perilous precedent that threatens the rights of all workers.”

It argued the use of soldiers could only serve to “escalate tensions and foster mistrust,” and that it was a violation of international labour standards. Trade unionists are seeking a 12 per cent hike for the bargaining period 2014-2017.

However, on October 2, Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) president general Michael Annisette, while unable to state how many workers had walked off the job, had ominously suggested the action could affect as much as 85 per cent of the port’s daily revenue.

Even action that does not rise to the level of a full-blown strike can adversely affect the country, given the critical role played by the port in the economy. This is why port strikes elsewhere have been swiftly nipped in the bud, such as in the recent US experience.

Except for the height of the covid19 pandemic, the Port of Spain port has been handling more containers over time: 268,446 in 2019; 236,370 in 2020; 91,078 in 2021; 235,828 in 2022; and 317,322 in 2023. According to authority statistics, 255,710 containers had already been dealt with this year.

The government’s ongoing policy of pushing the port to reflect public/private partnership has, meanwhile, appeared slow.

Ironically, what a military presence might have in this instance demonstrated is the larger need for state involvement no matter who runs the show.