TAWU still battling with brewery
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- Parent Category: Dec 2011
- Category: Week ending Dec 31st, 2011
- Published on Monday, 02 January 2012 18:19
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The Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) has called on Grenadians to boycott all products produced by the Grenada Breweries Limited (GBL) and its parent company, the powerful Ansa Mc Cal Group of Companies from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago.
President General of TAWU, Chester Humphrey, made the call during a press conference on Wednesday in which he launched a “Don’t Buy Campaign” against the group that is headed by the wealthy Sabga family.
Sen. Humphrey said that he is depending on the Grenadian people to once again show their patriotism with the Grenada Breweries workers who are locked in an industrial battle with the local brewing company.
The Union leader said that reports reaching him is that the Ansa McAL Company has already packed approximately 14 containers filled with brewery products produced in Trinidad ready for shipment into Grenada.
In light of this disturbing development, the union leader disclosed that the Management Committee of TAWU held lengthy discussions on Tuesday to discuss the matter and a decision was made to launch the “Don’t Buy Campaign”.
Sen. Humphrey made a plea to “the Grenadian public, all the workers, not to buy any Grenada Brewery products carrying the Carib label or any products coming from Trinidad”.
“We are asking the country and consumers not to buy those products unless and until the Brewery ends the lockout of the workers. You can’t have a hundred and something workers locked out while you import stuff from Trinidad to replace those workers that are here”“, he said.
Sen. Humphrey warned that an ominous cloud continues to hang over Grenada that could see the complete lockdown of the country’s economy.
He said the Union has received numerous calls from concerned individuals including the business community to avoid doing so.
This is clear reference to reports in some quarters that TAWU was planning to call out workers in some essential services to express solidarity with the brewery workers.
The union represents workers in most key utilities on the island such as GRENLEC, NAWASA, airport and telecommunications provider. Lime.
During the press briefing it was announced that a meeting was planned for late Wednesday between TAWU and Prime Minister Tillman Thomas as part of continued efforts to resolve the industrial dispute.
Sen. Humphrey announced that letters have been sent by TAWU to a number of organisations in the country including the Grenada Conference of Churches in the event that it becomes necessary for a national shutdown since everyone will be affected if this is done.
According to Sen. Humphrey, TAWU wants to assure Grenadians that it has done all it can to avert a shutdown and that if such an action is eventually taken it was only done as a final resort by the union.
Authoritative sources told this newspaper that the Ansa Mc Cal Group of Companies were prepared to dismiss all the striking brewery employees on the grounds that the strike was “illegal”.
A source close to the dispute said that the Trinidad Company had carefully worked out a strategy to deal with TAWU and its powerful President-General in any industrial unrest involving their companies in Grenada.
He dropped hints that the Ansa Mc Cal Group was prepared to close the local brewing plant for as long as possible and keep the workers on the breadline since the company is only as small part of the Sabga empire.
The workers employed with GBL downed tools earlier this month as a result of what TAWU said was the company’s dragging of its feet in the negotiations.
TAWU is seeking to have a seven percent increase in wages for the workers, but the company offered two and a half percent.
Despite an agreement for the workers to return to work they turned up only to be restrained from entering the compound and told to leave their names and telephone numbers at the booth and await a call.
During the impasse, Sen. Humphrey was arrested and charged by police officers attached to the South St. George Police Station where a charge of obstruction and refusing to comply with a lawful order was slapped on him.
He reportedly blocked some vehicles from leaving the GBL compound with drinks.
The TAWU boss was placed on $3,000.00 bail and is due to appear in court on January 26, 2012.
Sen. Humphrey said there seems to be more to the GBL matter since the dialogue between Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and Sabga ended in agreement that the workers return to work, yet to date the workers remain locked out while the company continues to use the services of temporary hired staff.
“There seem to be something more in the mortar than the industrial pestle”, he told reporters.
Sen. Humphrey accused the company of demonstrating “arrogance” and “contempt” for the office of the Prime Minister.
He said that efforts aimed at gathering solidarity with the GBL workers are continuing and the workers and the Union have been receiving solidarity from neighbouring unions.
The union boss disclosed that one of the moves made by the company in the negotiations was to remove the profit sharing clause in the agreement, which TAWU vehemently opposed.
He gave assurances that the union will continue with the planning process of engaging in mass protest action to take place at an appropriate time to bring the GBL issue to an end.
GBL has reportedly told the union and government officials that on January 3, 2012, it will give an indication as to when the workers will be allowed to take up their jobs, although they have not been dismissed.
The company is said to be holding to the position that it is not mandated to take back the workers on the job immediately but only within reasonable time.
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