Union declares a holiday
This is a new one.
The National Union of Government and Federated Workers Trade Union (NUGFW) declared last Tuesday a “union holiday”, closing all its offices in the process.
The union, led by James Lambert, did so to commemorate the first anniversary of the new executive being voted in on April 7 last year on the basis of “one member, one vote”.
That, of course, was a hotly contested elections with the incumbent Robert Giuseppi and his team being convincingly voted out.
Giuseppi did not take the licks lying down and continued coming to work every day, sitting in the president general’s office, giving orders to a bemused staff and, eventually, taking legal action, which he lost.
Lambert, in declaring a holiday, which he said will be celebrated on April 7 each year outlined nine achievements which included the conclusion of a collective agreement for the 50,000 members who work with Central and Local Government.
Also industrial agreements for workers at Berger Paints, Trinidad Brushware, Clark and Battoo, Imperial Optical, Mastermix Feed and Intersol Ltd were also concluded and five collective agreements in all the bargaining units at Carib Brewery were signed.
The union listed progress in other negotiations and other matters and revealed that a new sub-office will be opened in Roxborough, Tobago, on May 1.
It all sounded very impressive and one would have expected that NUGFW members would be a bit happier than one year ago.
Huh? Talk to the workers at WASA.
Anyway, Lambert and his executive took a rest last week Tuesday.
Are we going to get similar holidays in the trade union movement?