By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley is in no position to be calling any trade union “dotish” as he himself embraced them while in Opposition.
And his administration is the most anti-working class one in the history of the English speaking Caribbean.
This is according to Member of Parliament for Couva South Rudranath Indarsingh who himself is a former union leader.
In a statement on Monday, Indarsingh made reference to Dr Rowley’s remarks during a political meeting on Saturday in which he said labour leaders were ill-advising members of their unions.
He said, “The administration of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is the most anti-working class and anti-labour government in the history of the English-speaking Caribbean.
“His two terms have been characterised by worsening economic conditions, rising costs of living, undermining of unions and the collective bargaining process, the plummeting of foreign direct investment in the country, and the largest number of job losses over 135,000 that this country has ever seen under a Government.”
Indarsingh added, “Given the morbid relationship that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has made with labour leaders, it is clear that the reason for embracing labour leaders in the past was so that he could use them politically and stab them in the back today.”
The MP listed several occasions when Dr Rowley would have befriended the same union leaders.
The MP said it was Dr Rowley who embraced these “dotish labour leaders” while he was Opposition Leader and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with them which has not been fulfilled by his government in spite of being in political power for approximately seven years he added.
It was also Dr Rowley’s Cabinet that awarded the Petrotrin refinery to a company formed by one of these “dotish labour leaders” and his union, although that company had a zero track record in refinery operations.
Indarsingh said, “When Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley came into office, he rushed to form the National Tripartite Advisory Council, which sought to structurally engage these ‘dotish labour leaders’, which has since collapsed because of the arrogance of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Minister in meeting and treating with the Labour Movement.”
Indarsingh said it was also under Dr Rowley’s administration that offered the leaders “0-0-0” in spite of promising to settle all outstanding collective agreements upon coming into office in September 2015.
He added, “Let me also remind Dr Rowley that it was a ‘dotish labour leader’ who formed a political party in Tobago and relegated Dr Rowley and the PNM into the political doghouse after the last Tobago House of Assembly Elections through a humiliating defeat at the polls.”
Comparing the present administration to the People’s Partnership Administration, Indarsingh said 135 wage negotiations were settled and $5 billion in back pay were honoured under the leadership of former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
