Disgruntled PSA members demand: SETTLE FOR 4%

Members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) on Friday called on their president Leroy Baptiste to accept the Government's offer of four per cent for two three-year periods to avoid being forced to accept the same amount for two five-year periods.

Oral Saunders, Jude Davidson and Jennifer Frederick held a meeting with a handful of PSA members outside the Abercromby Street head office. The three explained that the decision to reject the four per cent offer would eventually hurt the public servants more.

One member, Laura Benjamin, said she was living on a 2013 salary in 2023 and the ongoing litigation by the PSA executive, challenging the tribunal's power to deliberate over two five-year periods, rather than the two three-year periods, was a waste of time and money.

The first union to accept the offer was the Amalgamated Workers' Union, which agreed to the proposal on August 29 last year.

Four unions, TTUTA, Fire Officers Association, POA and PSA were referred to a special tribunal of the Industrial Court after negotiations broke down. In November 2022, the Defence Force became the first sector of the protective services to accept the offer. It was followed by the police service in December last year.

In May, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) and the Prison Officers Association (POA) also accepted the offer.

A month later, the Fire Service Associations (first and second divisions) accepted the government’s four per cent salary offer and withdrew from the special tribunal of the Industrial Court.

The accepted offer by the unions are for the years 2014 to 2019, with the breakdown of two per cent for 2016, nothing for 2017-2018 and another two per cent for 2019.

The unions said accepting the four per cent gave them the ability to further negotiate for the period 2020 to 2022. The tribunal’s offer of two-five year periods would end in 2023, with the same four per cent increase.

Saunders said the decision to file for judicial review challenging the tribunal’s position was not wise as the court matter would prolong deliberations. He added that while Baptiste was challenging that, all other negotiations must cease.

Saunders and Frederick argued that court matters usually took several years to be completed and their understanding was that Baptiste was willing to go all the way to the Privy Council. If so, they estimated public servants could wait another five years before negotiations were settled.

Citing the decision by the Industrial Court, Benjamin said the 2022 decision of no increase for 2015 to 2017 for Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) was a precedent.

She urged those gathered to rally their support to encourage the membership to accept the four per cent now and live to fight another day.

On February 18 last year, a three-member team comprising Lawrence Achong, chairman of the essential services division and members Vincent Cabrera and Michelle Austin ruled that it was too expensive for the government to pay T&TEC workers any increase after their union the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), requested a 12 per cent wage increase along with a cost-of-living-allowance increase of four cents.

The tribunal said T&TEC was operating at a loss and could not afford the increase as well as the backpay.

On Friday, Benjamin argued that precedent was set, and the less time the matter stayed in the Industrial Court the better off public servants would be.

In June, after it was the last remaining union before the tribunal, the PSA held a general council meeting and the voters rejected the offer.

Saunders and others claim that the rejection was manipulated. They said the virtual voting process used was not in keeping with the union’s constitution as they could not corroborate who voted as not all the attendees had their cameras on during the Zoom meeting.

Saunders, Frederick and Davidson all called for the return of in-person general council meetings. He said the Zoom meetings could be manipulated as members could be kicked out by the host and attendees could not be verified as bonafide voters.

Saunders said, “This is not what the members want.

"It is not that they are happy with the four per cent, they do not want the four per cent but, under these circumstances, the situation has changed. And it is better we do like these other unions and settle for the four per cent and continue to fight on.”

Newsday contacted Baptiste who denied that the election was in any way manipulated. He said the Zoom voting could not be manipulated since it was a secured platform used by the judiciary and others.

Newsday was told that the general council meeting consisted of 42 sections and 13 executive members. In accordance with the union’s constitution a quorum of 15 is needed to carry any vote. On the day of the election there were 40 people registered to vote.

Asked why Zoom was used for the meeting even though the pandemic was over, Baptiste said, “It is the most successful format for the conduct of the general council meeting. In the past, general council meetings would not have a quorum because people come from wide and far.

“The fact of the matter is we have since seen the benefit of the platform to ensure that we will always have a general council meeting to conduct the affairs of the PSA. In fact it has been running more efficient than ever before."

Baptiste said the main issue should not be the claims of the “ten people '' who complained of Friday, but the fact that Saunders and his supporters called on the membership to come out and support him and no one did.

“They are not the voice of the public officers. It is their own political voice. I want you to put on the record that I thank them for confirming that public officers have rejected the four per cent. The ten or so people who are trying to leverage desperation of workers, it is quite unfortunate.”

Newsday called former presidents of the PSA Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and Watson Duke on the issue. Duke's phone went unanswered. Baptiste-Primus said her “heart is bleeding for the PSA.”

She said the lack of in-person voting was an insult to the democracy of the union, having served for 30 years.

“It is time to resume meetings as normal. The face-to-face meeting was held on the roof where there was enough space. The reason for the face-to-face was so that you can see who is voting and these things. The membership must call for the resumption of that. This is a dictatorship!”

Baptiste was appointed leader of the PSA last year after Duke resigned to take up the posts of THA assemblyman and deputy chief secretary.

Like Saunders, Baptiste-Primus said his ascent to the leadership was illegitimate. PSA’s leadership election is expected to take place next year.