A brewing standoff between Trinidad and Tobago’s Communication Workers Union (CWU) and national police authorities has emerged after a planned protest march outside the Port of Spain headquarters of telecom provider TSTT was abruptly canceled at the eleventh hour. CWU President Joanne Ogeer is now publicly challenging the sudden reversal of previously granted protest permissions, raising pointed questions about outside influence on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) decision.
Ogeer confirmed in a voice note interview with local broadcaster TV6 that all required administrative steps to secure approval for the demonstration had been completed well in advance of the planned event. She personally coordinated with leadership at Port of Spain’s Central Police Station and the area’s commanding superintendent to finalize logistics for the march, which was intended to pressure TSTT to agree to a 10% wage increase for CWU members covering two bargaining periods: 2020–2022 and 2023–2025.
Despite weeks of coordinated preparation and formal sign-off from police officials, Ogeer said she received formal notification early yesterday morning that the previously approved permit had been retracted. With no time to adjust logistics, the union was forced to scrap the planned demonstration entirely.
The sudden reversal has left Ogeer questioning both the underlying motive for the decision and whether any external parties exerted improper influence on TTPS to block the workers’ action. She pushed back against the restriction, emphasizing that the CWU is a law-abiding organization that only seeks to exercise its fundamental right to collective action amid stalled wage negotiations.
“Why is it so important to restrict workers from expressing their right as it pertains to broken-down wage negotiations with TSTT and the Communication Workers Union?” Ogeer asked in the interview.
She clarified that while the union remains committed to operating strictly within the bounds of national law, the cancellation of the march will not end its push for a fair wage deal. The union has already activated a contingency “Plan B” for continued industrial action, though Ogeer declined to share details of the alternative strategy during yesterday’s interview.
Ogeer also noted that CWU is not affiliated with the local Coalition of Interest, a fact she says means the union’s path to resolving the wage dispute will likely be longer and more challenging than for other organized labor groups. She warned CWU members to prepare for an extended period of industrial action, telling reporters that advocating for worker rights “is not a job for the faint-hearted.”