A showdown looms between the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Government officials as the Tourism Development Company (TDC) is facing possible closure today.
June 9 was the original date for closure of the company based on when the announcement was first made by the Government.
Some 120 workers will be affected by the pending shut down of the entity, which had as its main remit promoting T&T as a tourism destination.
But in a release issued yesterday, CWU Secretary General Joseph Remy said if the company embarks on closure today it would be “a most uncaring, inhumane, disrespectful and disingenuous” move.
In an interview with the T&T Guardian, Remy said company correspondence had been circulating internally advising workers not to report for duty today.
But he said the CWU has advised the workers that they should report to work, adding that he and other union representatives will be at the TDC’s head office at Maritime Plaza, Barataria, this morning to give moral support to the workers.
“We are challenging the company, daring them to come and attempt to close down the company’s operations, because it is going to be illegal and we are going to file action against the TDC relative to that.”
Remy said he hoped good sense will prevail and any possible showdown will be averted.
He said closure was going on despite Industrial Court advice for the company to continue operations pending talks with the CWU, which represents the workers and the company. That advice was given two weeks ago and Remy said one meeting was held and the other is scheduled for Monday.
“We are seeing correspondence circulating inside the organisation and there are correspondence to the staff advising to buy computers and laptops,” Remy said.
“There is also correspondence to the Bureau of Standards that June 9 is the last day of (the company’s) operation.”
Remy said the union wrote to Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe and Finance Minister Colm Imbert seeking an urgent meeting “because everything they (TDC) are doing is in defiance of the court advice and good industrial relations practice.”
He said the union was hoping due process will be allowed to take place towards the resolution of the matter.
In March, Cudjoe announced a Cabinet decision to close the TDC and the creation of two separate entities, one to deal with tourism in Trinidad and the other, Tobago.
There has been mounting opposition to that decision. The CWU also said there was no consultation with it on the move and took action against the TDC in the Industrial Court. The court advised two weeks ago that the Government should not proceed with any plan to dissolve the TDC until there was consultations with the CWU. Those discussions began last Monday and are set to resume on Monday.
Cudjoe was not available for comment yesterday.
