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Showing posts with label welfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label welfare. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Blind Welfare workers begin ‘stage one’ of protest action.
By Port-of-Spain
Alexander Bruzual
Alexander Bruzual
Link,http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Blind-Welfare-workers-begin-stage-one-of-protest-action-273416231.html
Story Created: Aug 31, 2014 at 11:17 PM ECT
Story Updated: Aug 31, 2014 at 11:17 PM ECT
ON Friday night, 20 workers at the Blind Welfare Association North Office, located at the corner of Duke and Edward streets in Port of Spain, locked themselves inside the building for the weekend as “stage one” of their plans to protest the fact that more than 50 workers have not been paid for the past ten working days.
This was revealed yesterday by president general of the All Trinidad General Workers’ Trade Union, Nirvan Maharaj, in a brief interview with the Express.
“We have a situation right now where the Government has not paid these men and women, who are mostly daily paid, for the past ten working days and counting,” said Maharaj.
“These are men and women who have families, who have bills, mortgages, medical payments, children to support. They are just like everyone else, and yet there seems to be no consideration for them at all.
“So about 20 persons decided that they had enough and they want to commence protest actions until the situation is resolved. Part of that plan was to lock themselves in the compound and sleep there. The union and myself went to the compound today (Sunday) to show solidarity with them and to give them food and drink, and to make sure they were all doing okay,” Maharaj added.
He said he was calling on the Government to resolve the issue as soon as possible for the sake of all involved.
“If the matter is not resolved by Tuesday afternoon, then the union will have no choice but to lead a march to the Prime Minister’s office demanding that she intervene and pay these men and women. We are hoping that it does not come to that, but we are preparing for any eventuality at this point,” Maharaj said.
Story Created: Aug 31, 2014 at 11:17 PM ECT
Story Updated: Aug 31, 2014 at 11:17 PM ECT
ON Friday night, 20 workers at the Blind Welfare Association North Office, located at the corner of Duke and Edward streets in Port of Spain, locked themselves inside the building for the weekend as “stage one” of their plans to protest the fact that more than 50 workers have not been paid for the past ten working days.
This was revealed yesterday by president general of the All Trinidad General Workers’ Trade Union, Nirvan Maharaj, in a brief interview with the Express.
“We have a situation right now where the Government has not paid these men and women, who are mostly daily paid, for the past ten working days and counting,” said Maharaj.
“These are men and women who have families, who have bills, mortgages, medical payments, children to support. They are just like everyone else, and yet there seems to be no consideration for them at all.
“So about 20 persons decided that they had enough and they want to commence protest actions until the situation is resolved. Part of that plan was to lock themselves in the compound and sleep there. The union and myself went to the compound today (Sunday) to show solidarity with them and to give them food and drink, and to make sure they were all doing okay,” Maharaj added.
He said he was calling on the Government to resolve the issue as soon as possible for the sake of all involved.
“If the matter is not resolved by Tuesday afternoon, then the union will have no choice but to lead a march to the Prime Minister’s office demanding that she intervene and pay these men and women. We are hoping that it does not come to that, but we are preparing for any eventuality at this point,” Maharaj said.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Union completes negotiations for blind
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,62140.html
http://mail.newsday.co.tt/business/0,62140.html
Friday, August 10 2007
THE All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU) yesterday announced that it had successfully completed collective agreements on behalf of daily-rated employees of the Visually Impaired/Blind Welfare Association of Trinidad and Tobago, National Agro Chemicals Limited and the Daily Rated Employees of the Sugarcane Feed Centre.
In the case of the Blind Welfare Association, workers will receive a 15 percent wage increase over the next three years, improvements in Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 85 cents per hour on a daily basis and other fringe benefits (meal allowance, sick leave etc). This agreement is for the period January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2006.
For the period June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2008, National Agro Chemicals workers will benefit from an 11 percent increase, COLA improvements of $2,400 and other fringe benefits. The collective agreement for workers at the Sugarcane Feed Centre, provides for the implementation of a new grading and classification structure, resulting from a job evaluation exercise undertaken between the Chief Personnel Officer and the ATSGWTU and a COLA of $4 per day for each day worked for the same period.
http://mail.newsday.co.tt/business/0,62140.html
Friday, August 10 2007
THE All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU) yesterday announced that it had successfully completed collective agreements on behalf of daily-rated employees of the Visually Impaired/Blind Welfare Association of Trinidad and Tobago, National Agro Chemicals Limited and the Daily Rated Employees of the Sugarcane Feed Centre.
In the case of the Blind Welfare Association, workers will receive a 15 percent wage increase over the next three years, improvements in Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 85 cents per hour on a daily basis and other fringe benefits (meal allowance, sick leave etc). This agreement is for the period January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2006.
For the period June 1, 2005 to May 31, 2008, National Agro Chemicals workers will benefit from an 11 percent increase, COLA improvements of $2,400 and other fringe benefits. The collective agreement for workers at the Sugarcane Feed Centre, provides for the implementation of a new grading and classification structure, resulting from a job evaluation exercise undertaken between the Chief Personnel Officer and the ATSGWTU and a COLA of $4 per day for each day worked for the same period.
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Sugar union blames Govt for ex-Caroni worker’s murder
http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2004-10-05/news17.html
The All-Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union says Government must take responsibility for the brutal murder of unionist Baldath Balgobin.
Rudranath Indarsingh, president general of the ATSGWTU, called on Commissioner of Police Trevor Paul, yesterday, to spare no efforts in hunting down and bringing to justice Balgobin’s killer, or killers.
The body of Balgobin, 51, was found bound in the trunk of his taxi behind Presentation College in Chaguanas, on Saturday morning.
Indarsingh said the Felicity father of three was a man of tremendous commitment and humility.
He added that the union felt Balgobin met his death because of the failure of Government and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Christine Sahadeo, to honour its commitments to former Caroni (1975) Ltd employees in a timely manner.
“Therefore, the union is of the opinion that the blood of Mr Balgobin is on the hands of the Government and Minister Sahadeo,” Indarsingh asserted.
He said Balgobin turned to plying his car for hire to look after the welfare of his family, after he was retrenched from his job at Caroni because of Government’s restructuring policy.
“If Government had distributed the agricultural plots of land to the ex-employees, Mr Balgobin would have been generating revenue for the well-being of his family by being involved in an agricultural enterprise,” Indarsingh argued.
He said Balgobin was denied further income because the Government had not considered the union’s proposal for lowering the entitlement age for receiving a pension from the daily-paid contributory pension plan.
With the crime rate escalating, he said he feared many more ex-sugar workers’ families may suffer the same fate as Balgobin. YW
The All-Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union says Government must take responsibility for the brutal murder of unionist Baldath Balgobin.
Rudranath Indarsingh, president general of the ATSGWTU, called on Commissioner of Police Trevor Paul, yesterday, to spare no efforts in hunting down and bringing to justice Balgobin’s killer, or killers.
The body of Balgobin, 51, was found bound in the trunk of his taxi behind Presentation College in Chaguanas, on Saturday morning.
Indarsingh said the Felicity father of three was a man of tremendous commitment and humility.
He added that the union felt Balgobin met his death because of the failure of Government and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Christine Sahadeo, to honour its commitments to former Caroni (1975) Ltd employees in a timely manner.
“Therefore, the union is of the opinion that the blood of Mr Balgobin is on the hands of the Government and Minister Sahadeo,” Indarsingh asserted.
He said Balgobin turned to plying his car for hire to look after the welfare of his family, after he was retrenched from his job at Caroni because of Government’s restructuring policy.
“If Government had distributed the agricultural plots of land to the ex-employees, Mr Balgobin would have been generating revenue for the well-being of his family by being involved in an agricultural enterprise,” Indarsingh argued.
He said Balgobin was denied further income because the Government had not considered the union’s proposal for lowering the entitlement age for receiving a pension from the daily-paid contributory pension plan.
With the crime rate escalating, he said he feared many more ex-sugar workers’ families may suffer the same fate as Balgobin. YW
Friday, May 28, 2004
Blind workers sign historic collective agreement
Trinidad Guardian
Business Section
Friday 28th May, 2004
A historic new collective agreement for blind and visually-impaired people was signed between the T&T Blind Welfare Association and the All Trinidad Sugar & General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU)...
(research team must acquire article )
Friday, January 30, 2004
Blind Welfare : Protest outside of WhiteHall .
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,14737.html
Also protesting outside Whitehall yesterday was a group of workers from the Blind Welfare Association. All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU) first vice-president Sylvester Maharaj said the workers had been trying to get a collective agreement signed for the last three years.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Visually-impaired protest second class treatment
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,14143.html
Tempers flared yesterday as the members of the Blind Welfare Association of Trinidad and Tobago staged a protest outside their Edward Street headquarters.
They are claiming that, in the past, nothing has been done to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired. “The association seems to be on the decline. It is no longer run by a counsel but by one man,” said Cyril Scott, branch president. “Most blind people depend on the welfare for employment and some sort of livelihood,” he said. He added that the workers were discouraged since negotiations covering the period 2001-2003 with All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (which represents the workers) were not settled. As a result of this, he said, the workers were “suffering.”
“These workers are currently receiving under the minimum wage,” said Rudranath Indarsingh, president general of the trade union. “It seems like the visually impaired do not have rights. They do not get sick leave nor pension like other citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.” Beverly Ann Fitzallen said that staff at the association were waiting for land to construct a building since the current building was “deplorable.” “We applied for the land and for housing but because we are so insignificant, nobody has responded to us. Nobody is willing to consider our concerns,” she added. Indarsingh threatened that if things are not settled immediately, the association will have to “take a different turn.”
Tempers flared yesterday as the members of the Blind Welfare Association of Trinidad and Tobago staged a protest outside their Edward Street headquarters.
They are claiming that, in the past, nothing has been done to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired. “The association seems to be on the decline. It is no longer run by a counsel but by one man,” said Cyril Scott, branch president. “Most blind people depend on the welfare for employment and some sort of livelihood,” he said. He added that the workers were discouraged since negotiations covering the period 2001-2003 with All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (which represents the workers) were not settled. As a result of this, he said, the workers were “suffering.”
“These workers are currently receiving under the minimum wage,” said Rudranath Indarsingh, president general of the trade union. “It seems like the visually impaired do not have rights. They do not get sick leave nor pension like other citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.” Beverly Ann Fitzallen said that staff at the association were waiting for land to construct a building since the current building was “deplorable.” “We applied for the land and for housing but because we are so insignificant, nobody has responded to us. Nobody is willing to consider our concerns,” she added. Indarsingh threatened that if things are not settled immediately, the association will have to “take a different turn.”
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