OWTU: Picketing Gonzales's home not unlawful

PRESIDENT General of the Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget said neither him nor his union broke any law when they staged a peaceful picket outside one of the homes of Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales on November 8, 2024.

He said he was not aware Gonzales had reported the matter to the police, but even if he did, Roget said police knew better than the minister that no unlawful act was committed and, therefore, there were no substantial grounds for charges to be laid.

He said he had not been interviewed or questioned by police regarding the matter, to date.

During a site visit to a pipe-laying project in Woodland on February 10, Gonzales refused to entertain questions about T&TEC and TSTT, in so far as it concerned the OWTU. He told members of the media his children were still traumatised by the over 100 strong OWTU members who protested at his home, and that he has reported it to the police.

In an interview on February 12, Roget told the Newsday that Section 3 of the Trade Disputes and Protection of Property Act No 7 Of 1943 as amended, allows for peaceful demonstrations by employees and their union at the homes or business places of employers.

“I just want to educate the Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, that first of all the TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) comes under his charge.

“He has ultimate responsibility for the functioning of that public utility. If it is there are issues relative to corruption, relative to poor health and safety conditions, relative to life-threatening situations, which threatens not only the T&TEC worker but the public, he has a responsibility and a duty to respond to the recognised majority union raising those issues.

“He should be anxious to hear what we have to say and to work with the union to alleviate all of those problems and challenges.”

Instead, Roget said, it was the opposite reaction from Gonzales.

“Imagine the union talking to the minister, writing the minister and telling him we want to meet with him to talk about corruption, in T&TEC. We write and tell him we want to talk to him about health and safety. We write and tell him we want to talk to him about life threatening issues, but he does not respond.

“It is his responsibility, but it is a type of arrogance that comes from his leader that makes them feel they can do what they want, disrespect and disregard their responsibility.

“On the issue of the peaceful picketing, the law allows for employee/workers and their trade union to picket an employer. Perhaps he does not know that or does not care that he is a minister, that part of his responsibility is as the line minister for T&TEC, which gives workers the right to picket his home or office."

In terms of the reporting of the matter to the police, Roget said the police were aware of the law. He said the police were present when they staged OWTU staged its protest, but they did not interfere nor attempt to intervene.

He said it is not the first time they have engaged in peaceful protest at the home of an employer, when other measures to address issues had failed.

Trade Disputes and Protection of Property Act No 7 Of 1943 as amended.

Section 3: "It shall be lawful for one or more persons, acting on their own behalf or on behalf of a trade union or of an individual employer or firm in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute, to attend at or near a house or place where a person resides or works or carries on business or happens to be, if they so attend merely for the purpose of peacefully obtaining or communicating information, or of peacefully persuading any person to work or abstain from working; but nothing in this section shall be construed as conferring any legal right to enter or remain upon any land or premises."