FLOW workers took strike action

FLOW workers took strike action

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Details: Parent Category: Oct 2011; Category: Week ending Oct 08th, 2011; Hits: 375

Employees attached to Columbus Communications located on Dusty Highway were back on the job six hours after downing tools following a strike last week Wednesday.

The workers took protest action following communication with their bargaining agents, the Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) after the Trinidad-owned company called off another scheduled negotiation session with the union.

FLOW Employees were seen on the outside of the company building relaxing and talking to each other as news spread about the strike action.

TAWU official, Andre Lewis told The New Today that the union decided to take the work stoppage action to get the company to agree on a day to meet to continue their negotiations on an industrial package.

He claimed that hours before the two parties were scheduled to meet, the Union received a letter from Country Manager, Gail Purcell, indicating that the meeting was being cancelled on the alleged grounds that the feeling was that both parties will not be able to reach an agreement on the day.

“Negotiations are what it is, you never know what will happen around the table and if you are unable to reach agreement around the table then you have to refer the matter to the Ministry for Labour”, Lewis said.

“The company is not in a position to determine when we will reach agreement, if we don’t, then we go to the Ministry (of Labour). The company is obligated to meet with us for us to determine where next we go”, he added.

According to Lewis, the two sides last met on August 19, and that on three occasions after that scheduled meetings were cancelled which they agreed to.

THE NEW TODAY was told that both parties agreed to meet later this month to continue the negotiations.