JUST days after Finance Minister Vishnu Dhanpaul was sworn in, workers at the National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago (NIBTT) have asked him to intervene in wage disputes, which have been unresolved for four years.

A letter sent to Dhanpaul on March 20 said, “We formally request your urgent consideration regarding the approval of payment of increased salaries and arrears resulting from concluded negotiations, which have since become the subject of the captioned trade dispute before the Industrial Court.”

The workers said the negotiations were settled and signed in October 2020 but they were later told that ministerial approval was not given for the payments to be made. The Public Services Association (PSA) later referred the matter to the Industrial Court.