Annisette rejects PM's claims of racial hatred

THE labour movement will not be intimidated into silence or back down from challenging the Government, despite accusations that its protests were politically motivated and driven by racial hatred, trade union leader Michael Annisette said yesterday.

Addressing hundreds of workers gathered at Woodford Square, Port of Spain, the general secretary of the National Trade Union Centre (Natuc) took issue with remarks by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who accused trade union leaders of political connivance and racial bias. Annisette insisted that the labour movement had a responsibility to defend workers regardless of which political party was in office and would not allow legitimate grievances to be dismissed as political or racial hostility.

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"Madam Prime Minister, you are entitled to disagree with the trade union movement and defend your Government's policy. But disagreement does not justify questioning our integrity, or dismissing workers' legitimate grievances as political or racial hostility," Annisette said to loud applause. He rejected suggestions that the labour movement was acting as an extension of the People's National Movement (PNM), the United National Congress (UNC) or any other political party. He said its responsibility was to workers, pensioners, their families and the wider population. Annisette also challenged claims that trade unions had remained silent under previous PNM administrations, pointing to several demonstrations and industrial actions during that period. He cited the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union's (OWTU) October 2018 march against the closure of Petrotrin and the displacement of workers.