00:00The semen and waterfront workers trade union settled a 12% salary increase for its members for the period 2014
00:09to 2017 back in 2015.
00:12But port workers say they only began receiving a portion of that money last month, 11 years after the settlement.
00:20We are surviving on a 2013-2014 salary. The port authority will find it fair to come and give us
00:29a 20% of our 12% flat rate.
00:35And then they were supposed to come and sign off on another 80%. They're supposed to come and carry the
00:41rest of the information to the parliament to sign off on another 80% with our overtime.
00:45All we're asking for is what is just and due to our total. It has plenty of health and safety
00:53issues and we are still working as loyal soldiers for the company.
01:00On Sunday, the workers gathered outside the port of Port of Spain demanding their full back pay or at least
01:07dialogue on a timeline for release.
01:10The 100-plus employees impacted are demanding a meeting with authorities to discuss when complete payment will occur so they
01:19can finally move forward with negotiations on the three other bargaining periods since that time.
01:25They attack us. We're not looking to shut down nothing. We're coming out and we're asking, we're pleading to do
01:33the right thing.
01:34And I commend them. They're trying to fix it, they're replacing. But why are they leaving personnel for last? Why
01:42are they leaving the human resource for last?
01:45They're fixing everything they can fix except our emotions, our finances.
01:51We've been exercising a level of understanding and patience. But since 2014, we're speaking about it.
01:592014, we're speaking about it. You tell me one thing that is the same price now, it was in 2014.
02:07Cindy Raguban, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
02:10Sometimes, you guys.
Comments