Trinidad and Tobago’s labor movement has united in condemnation of Minister Clyde Elder’s controversial statements suggesting unions that accepted the previous administration’s 4% wage offer should not expect parity with the Public Services Association’s recently secured 10% increase. The Minister of Public Utilities’ remarks, made outside Parliament on November 28, have ignited fierce criticism from multiple trade organizations representing public sector workers.
Prison Officers’ Association president Gerard Gordon denounced the comments as divisive and historically ignorant, revealing that many unions signed previous agreements under duress. ‘The Special Tribunal of the Industrial Court threatened to impose a ten-year judgment if matters proceeded fully,’ Gordon explained. ‘For small organizations, this coercive environment left little meaningful choice but to accept inadequate offers.’
The Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association announced plans to restart negotiations dating back to 2014, with president Idi Stuart demanding clarification from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo on whether Elder’s position reflects official government policy. Stuart warned that linking wage settlements to political alignment would represent ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for collective bargaining.
Communications Workers’ Union secretary general Joanne Ogeer highlighted the dangerous precedent of political loyalty influencing labor negotiations, noting that Elder himself had previously accepted a 5% settlement for TSTT workers who haven’t received increases since 2019. The Estate Police Association joined the chorus of disapproval, emphasizing that all state workers deserve equal consideration amid rising living costs, regardless of their union’s administrative decisions or political affiliations.
The growing controversy threatens to undermine industrial peace, with multiple unions characterizing the minister’s stance as a betrayal of the government’s own manifesto commitments to fair wage policies for all public sector employees.