THE EDITOR: James Lambert is the president of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW). He is also the leader of the National Trade Union Centre (Natuc). The NUGFW is the recognised majority union for the daily-paid workers in the government ministries, regional corporations and Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).

Lambert is cited in the media as saying if the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) does not come up with a 'reasonable' wage offer the union will take him to the Industrial Court. Why does Lambert believe the CPO, who represents the Government's position, will tremble in his boots at the prospect of having to face the Industrial Court?

Is Lambert for real? Does he not understand that is precisely where the Government wants the negotiations to be decided? The Industrial Court awarded T&TEC workers zero per cent. Does Lambert believe the court will make a 'reasonable' wage award for daily-paid workers?

The other public sector unions are banned from taking strike action and if negotiations break down they will have decisions to make about how they are going to pressure the Government into making 'reasonable' wage offers. Unions will have to rely on their power over production and on their ability to disrupt the normal functioning of the economy and the system of governance.

If that route is to be taken, then the members of the unions must be made aware of the options open to them and they must be clear about what they are prepared to do to defend their material interests.

The trade union leadership is clearly out of its depth in terms of setting its strategic objective and devising and implementing a strategy that could achieve that objective. The leaders are making it up as they go along. The members must be brought into the mix. They must instruct their hapless leaders as to the path to be taken.

You cannot mobilise a fight-back movement through the media. The workplace union shop stewards and branch officers must be brought together in an all-union conference of shop stewards and branch officers (COSSABO), so that a unity of purpose could be achieved; so that all could be playing from the same music sheet.

Token manifestations that draw fewer and fewer people are of no concern to the Government. The unions must devise actions that would put the Government under enough pressure that it backs off this vicious assault on working people. The leadership of the unions cannot be relied upon to pressure the politicians. The leaders must be instructed to do so by their members.

GERRY KANGALEE

via e-mail

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