Police had to be called in yesterday after disgruntled San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC) workers formed a human barricade around the vehicles of the city engineer and the human resources manager, refusing to let them leave Skinner Park.
About 150 workers who were protesting the corporation’s failure to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), health and safety issues and the SFCC’s failure to provide their TD4 forms, blocked engineer David Heeraman’s car and HR’s manager, Bobby Boodram’s SUV for about 20 minutes before police arrived.
However, even after the arrival of two uniformed officers, the workers still refused to let either man pass.
The workers protested at the corporation’s Carib Street Complex from 4 am yesterday but headed to Skinner Park around 10 am after learning both men were there to address Skinner Park workers and South Eastern Ward workers.
Lead by Contractors and General Workers Trade Union (CGWTU) general secretary, Ermine De Bique Meade, the workers chanted and surrounded Boodram’s car.
When the officers arrived, one of them tried reasoning with the workers, telling them it was illegal for them to block Boodram’s vehicle.
Through the officer, De Bique Meade requested that Boodram meet with the workers but Boodram said he would not meet with them under the circumstances.
After about ten minutes, the workers agreed to let Boodram leave but then blocked Heeraman’s vehicle for a further ten minutes until he agreed to meet with them later in the day.
Speaking to the T&T Guardian, De Bique Meade said: “We came after learning both of them had gone there to address workers but when we got here we learned they had only met with the supervisor and the checker.
“They also threatened the workers, saying if the work-to-rule action continues, they will send home guaranteed workers and regular workers. This union is not prepared to tolerate that type of intimidation.”
She said the corporation’s March 31 deadline to provide workers with PPE had long expired with no action on management’s side, prompting the first leg of the protest.
“We are protesting the failure of management to provide stipulated uniforms and PPE to the employees. March 31 has long passed and to date, three-quarters of the workers have not been provided with any PPE,” she added.
She said the corporation had also failed to provide the workers with TD4 forms necessary to file their tax returns.
“No workers have been given their TD4 slip, although the stipulated date to file returns was April 30... almost 1,000 workers have not received their slips. We are giving them until Wednesday to hand out the slips or we will be going to City Hall in our numbers.”
She said the workers were now taking work-to-rule action and warned of the impact that would have on the city.
“If the city is not cleaned the way it has to be, you cannot blame the workers. We intend to keep up the protests every day until management sees it fit to meet the workers and the union.
“Right now the workers self esteem and enthusiasm are very low because of the way they are being treated and that is significantly affecting the way they do their jobs.”
The corporation’s communications department forwarded a press release from May 4 and stated that its position on the issues remains the same as last week. No reply was forthcoming for subsequent questions sent via email on the issues affecting the workers.