OWTU stands up for PriceSmart cashiers – 'give them chairs'

NOT back pay, not wage increases but simple seating is what Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) officials demanded as they gathered in protest outside PriceSmart, Port of Spain outlet on December 19.

“PriceSmart in Trinidad has implemented a practice where these cashiers are required to come here daily, whenever their shift is, and carry out their functions for an entire eight hours while standing,” said second vice president Reesa Ramlogan-Jodha.

She said that for over 15 years, the OWTU, which is the recognised majority union for PriceSmart workers, has been trying to resolve this issue but to no avail.

PriceSmart cashiers in Jamaica and Barbados are given seats to use while they cash, but for the over 100 cashiers in TT, they must stand at all times. This has led to numerous complaints of back pain, varicose veins and even complications during pregnancy, Ramlogan-Jodha claimed.

“Having to leave the workplace in pain should not be required as evidence of a productive day…We don’t want our workers, when they reach to their senior age, to be walking around with sticks.”

Although the union has a trade dispute currently before the Industrial Court regarding the matter, first vice president Sati Gajadhar-Inniss said PriceSmart has not filed its evidence or argument for the matter to go forward. She said a hearing was scheduled for March.

“PriceSmart continues to say because it is not law in TT, to provide seating for cashiers, they are not obligated to provide it," Gajadhar-Inniss said.

She also said PriceSmart was claiming that sitting down could interfere with a cashier’s ability to lift and handle certain items.

While there are no OSHA regulations that speak against workers standing for the duration of their shifts, Gajadhar-Inniss said the lack of seating is still a violation of a worker's right to a safe and sound workplace environment.

She noted article 14 of the International Labour Organisation convention, which says sufficient and suitable seats should be given to workers who should also be given reasonable opportunities to use them.

“The issue of seating should not be a matter of law. It is a matter of choice and all it calls for is some heart,” said Ramlogan-Jodha.

“Why is it that our PriceSmart cashiers have to endure this? All we are asking management to do, and we have been asking for a decade and a half now, is to treat your cashiers with dignity and respect and provide seating accommodations. This is all we are asking for.”

Gajadhar-Inniss also called on the public to be patient with PriceSmart cashiers. “When you go to the cashier, remember, they have been standing for their entire shift yet they continue to serve you. Keep that in mind as you continue to shop at PriceSmart. Have a heart, be patient with them, some of them might be slower than usual.

Over US$1 billion in revenue and US$31.5 million in net income were recorded by the American company for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025. PriceSmart’s revenue for 2025 is around US$5.27 billion.

The company, which owns 56 warehouse clubs worldwide, recently purchased five-acre and three-acre properties for the construction of two more branches in Jamaica, which are set to open in mid-2026.

Another five-acre property was purchased in the Dominican Republic for the company’s sixth branch in that country.

OWTU officials said they plan to go to all of PriceSmart's branches throughout TT to continue to advocate for workers.

Newsday called PriceSmart’s human resources and industrial relations departments for comment on December 19, but all calls went unanswered. Managers on site at the D'Abadie, Port of Spain and Chaguanas branches also declined to comment.