Humphrey to appear before Courts

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Parent Category: Dec 2011

Category: Week ending Dec 24th, 2011

Published on Monday, 26 December 2011 11:15

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The arbitrarily dismal of just over one hundred workers of the Grenada Breweries Limited along the Maurice Bishop Highway and the arrest and charge of President General of the powerful Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) Senator Chester Humphrey could result in an escalation of the industrial action at the island's sole brewer of beers.

Sen. Humphrey was arrested early Tuesday (Dec 20th) morning by police officers attached to the South St. George Police Station on the grounds of obstruction.

He was brought to the police station where a charge of obstruction and refusing to comply with a lawful order was slapped on him.

The veteran trade unionist is accused of preventing the free passage of a motor vehicle T8881 and others from leaving the company's compound.

Sen. Humphrey was joined at the police station by his attorney, Ruggles Ferguson, as well as TAWU's 1st Vice-president Andre Lewis, and some leading members of other trade unions as Madonna Harford of the Public Workers Union and Barbara Fraser of the Commercial & Industrial Workers Union.

He was placed on $3,000.00 bail and is due to appear in court on January 26, 2012.

Sen. Humphrey told reporters after he was released from custody that he had pulled up in front of one of the delivery trucks that was filled with drinks in the face of a lockout of the members of his union by the company.

"This would make it 25 years since I came out from prison, and I have to go back before the court, but all is in the name of the workers," he said.

This is clear reference of the failed attempt by the State in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the 1979-83 Grenada Revolution to extradite him back to the U.S to face gunrunning charges.

Sen. Humphrey along with another Grenadian, Jim Wardally had fled the United States for their homeland while on bail on charges of shipping arms and ammunition to Grenada to allegedly help the leftist New Jewel Movement (NJM) stage the March 13, 1979 coup d'etat against the elected Eric Gairy government.

The Breweries workers found themselves locked out of the company after acceding to a request from Minister of Labour, Glynis Roberts to return to work pending further dialogue with their superiors in Port-of-Spain.

Sen. Humphrey said the Port-of-Spain bosses of the Breweries had promised that once the workers go back to work that negotiations over a collective agreement would resume.

Well-placed sources told THE NEW TODAY newspaper that company officials were adamant that the strike action by the workers were illegal and violated the island's industrial relations act.

The workers under their bargaining agents, TAWU resorted to strike action last week Tuesday after talks broke down over a new wage agreement.

TAWU is seeking to have a seven percent increase in wages for the workers, but the company has stuck to two and a half percent.

Sen. Humphrey said when the Monday night shift workers reported to work they were prevented from going onto the plant.

"They were told to leave their names and telephone numbers at the booth, but they were not allowed to come on to the plant," he told reporters.

According to the TAW boss, when he got to the company compound just about 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday in his personal vehicle, he found the entire work crew standing outside the fenced area and claiming that they were locked out.

He said that a convoy of trucks loaded with drinks was about to leave the plant.

"Now that the strike has ended the company has now locked us out. So if the company lock out the workers using replacement workers to do their job, then I'm sorry, no drinks (are not) leaving the company compound," he added.

A number of Police Constables on duty outside the Breweries sought to get the workers to remove themselves from the entrance of the compound in an effort to allow persons to go in and out.

In retaliation the workers said, "we come to work, (but) the trucks (are) blocking us from going in."

TAWU has since issued as call for non-essential workers from the essential services that are members of the union to come out to the breweries compound in solidarity with the workers.

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