FEDERATION of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (FITUN) president, David Abdulah, has described the alleged mistreatment of Chinese immigrant workers as ’modern day slavery’ and says Government must take full responsibility.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Abdulah said FITUN had written a letter dated February 9, 2007, to then Labour Minister Danny Montano, calling for an urgent investigation into practices and conditions regarding Chinese workers, and Montano wrote back and said the ministry had investigated and none of their concerns were valid.
’As is clear, our concerns were not only valid but correct,’ he said.
About 85 Chinese workers on the Five Rivers Secondary School compound in Arouca downed their tools in protest and gathered at the Uriah Butler Highway on Tuesday, complaining they had not been paid in two months and had to endure inhumane working and living conditions. The workers are contracted to the Beijing Luijuan Construction Corporation.
Yesterday, Abdulah said FITUN also identified that most of the workers are employed in jobs that could be done by Trinidad and Tobago nationals, and in the union’s view this represented a violation of the work permit legislation in the country.
’UDeCOTT must be forced to terminate these contracts and other Government ministries or agencies that have also employed Chinese firms,’ he said.
National Trade Union Centre general secretary Vincent Cabrera also said in a release yesterday that Government, the labour movement, employers and the society can no longer turn a blind eye to the plight of immigrant labour in Trinidad and Tobago. He condemned the ’sub-standard treatment’ meted out to the Chinese workers by unscrupulous employers and said the real issue is the entire system of importation of foreign labour into the country.
He called on Government to establish a tripartite body to monitor importation of labour into the country and noted that NATUC has taken on the responsibility to speak for the workers.
’Furthermore, it is a burning shame and disgrace that Chinese labourers were forced to protest their ill treatment only to be arrested and taken away to an unknown location. This represents a blot on the international profile of Trinidad and Tobago,’ Cabrera said.
President of Transport and Industrial Workers’ Union (TIWU) Roland Sutherland, in a release, also said his union was appalled by the treatment of the workers and that riot police were summoned to ’terrorise and intimidate them for claiming their entitlement’. He questioned whether the alleged treatment of the workers was a return to indentureship. He called on the Government and the Minister of Labour to intervene ’in a firm manner to stop this blatant exploitation of labour’ and to ensure these workers receive their entitlements, and to review all contractors with Chinese firms.
President of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, Ancel Roget, who visited the Chinese workers at their makeshift home off Warren Road, Cunupia, yesterday, said afterwards,’This is not what the workers are entitled to, accustomed to, or deserve.’
Roget said he would take their plight to the Minister of Labour.
-with reporting
by Nikita Braxton
Comments: Unions blame Govt for plight of Chinese workers
But the answer to the men being paid is nowhere in sight..isn`t that the point. when will these men get their money. maybe they have wives and children and relatives they want to help back home...they need to buy food and clothes.. it really shameful to see this....i shame to say i am a trinidadian...i shame of the kind of corruption going on until today and nobody doing anything..only talk talk talk....the government and contractors all in the same thing... next headline should read " workers paid".
So now is the blaming game...what we want to know is when these men getting their salaries. and if government is to blame as claimed by unions,,then it is clear who should pay the men. Tomorrow a new excuse..look and see..
Where were these unions at the get go, you all are so busy fighting for the scraps and some of your leaders are PNM supporters,i really wonder if like the govt you all have a clear "VISION!" You have no Power because of the division(s).
Is the FITUN president, David Abdulah, gone crazy? The responsibility of the Chinese workers are that of the Beijing Luijuan Construction Corporation or the Chinese government. And in response to the President of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union, Ancel Roget statement: "This is not what the workers are entitled to, accustomed to, or deserve."; Chinese workers in China work in more deplorable conditions in China. T&T government CANNOT continue to afford the luxury of taking care of everyone else, and ignore the people of T&T.
Godd to see reports of early attempts to raise responsible concerns by FITUN.
Given the scramble of the Unions and the relevant Ministers over the plight of the Chinese migrant workers, I must now ask other questions that I assumed the authorities were on top of.
1. To what construction standards are the building being constructed - T&T as well as ISO?
2. Which is the responsible agency responsible for monitoring standards compliance and what is their schedule for monitoring standards compliance during construction?
3. Would it be possible for the public to see a copy of the standards complaince monitoring reports for all "Design & Build" projects for 2009?
Forgot who is responsible for the collapse of buildings, it is who will be responsible for anyone that gets injured or even worse die, due to those collapses. The Chinese are hard workers no one can take away that, but I have no faith in our own building standards and the compliancy that they should meet ... this government want to go on record as claiming that they build "beautiful" buildings etc ... if and when the time comes that these same structures prove to be unworthy in terms of structural compliancy .. I want to see who will be the first PNM, UNC, COP, WHATEVER minister to stand up and acknowledge their mistake ... the answer is easy .... NONE.
It is very sad to know that these Chinese works have to eat dry bread and water. We want this resolved quick by our Govt or cancelled their contract. It is a shame that the Chinese Consulate
in T&T play dumb in this matter. T&T have human rights and Union to represent our workers, let help these Chinese workers, make sure they get paid and no exploitation to send back home, because they stand up for their rights.I saw a photo of our policemen waving a batton to smack a Chinese worker, that should also be investigated. Please get a person who can transalate their language to english, thse people have their family to feed and to do that it is a shame, my heat bleed for them, let the Contractors know we do stand for Slave Workers.What happen to T&T Chinese citizens representative to investigate this matter. lets say people who know in the 1960 that Chinese people are very kind and generous, when we did not have money to buy groceries they will give us and when my parents get paid, we will pay them, they did exploit us T&T citizens.Help them and don't make fun of their language. I have friends is the USA is from China.
Trini-NJ.USA
Well,I bet anyone,that the topic in the Regional Islands is about T@T.The Region's people must be having a field day,making fools of our people.I could hear the Bajans and Jamaicans now,'T@T robbing people again'.These countries are so happy that integration is only in one man's mind,so that they will not be seen as confused to the rest of the world.Only in T@T,anything to do with money must have problems,especially when this Government is involved,regardless,whether it's a small,or major part.The prospective employees from the Region and other parts of the world are taking notes. That's our Government for you,competence all the way.Aubert Modeste
I think that the Government should be more responsible. They should pay the workers because they work hard for our country and they have a right to get pay for working hard in a country that is not theirs'.
The person who brought these people to work in Trinidad should pay them. If the government pays these workers that all employers will stop paying their employees and expect the government to pay.
David Abdullah is right. The government is the custodian of last resort of these poor people brought so far from home to be exploited in a country built on slave and indentured labour. This identical situation arises in many Middle Eastern countries where poor Filipinos, Indians and Pakistanis are brought in to build skyscrapers. The employer holds their documents, and at the first sign of conflict, they get deported, often without their salaries already earned.Formerly enslaved people know how to be slavemasters quite well. If this government truly believes that Chinese workers are better than TnT workers, they have to appoint some union rep, through the industrial court, to look after their welfare, including health concerns. They must be paid a fair wage, and that must be documented, or else we are funding slavery, with our petrodollars, and the God of Justice will not let us get away with that. Housing must be inspected for sanitation purposes.If we put these safeguards in place, I suspect that the contractors would not want to bring these poor people from halfway around the world.
Some have already committed suicide, perhaps based on conditions of work.
How dare we call ourselves members of a civilized society and allow this to happen. The police played into the hand of the exploiter by arresting and deporting these men.Quite predictable. Will their disputed wages be handed over to them through the Ministry of Labour?
When people are found holding slaves in the US-some embassies and consulates from Middle Eastern countries have been guilty, such a big stink is made of it, and the slaves are freed, compensated, and then sent home.
I am sure the International Anti-slavery Society must be taking an interest in this situation.Mr. R.J. Williams who is moving and shaking on constitutional reform, and is a Trini-Chinese, should try to negotiate for these people. What does our constitution say about slavery?
I have always been proud of my country, but not today, not today.Thanks David, for being willing to speak out. I proudly sign my name to this note.
Linda E. Edwards
While I agree that these workers should be paid, and that their living conditions etc should not be those of enslaved people .. I must DISAGREE with one of your statements. You talk about the workers in the Middle East ..... then you go on to say, and I quote "Formerly enslaved people know how to be slavemasters quite well". If you are referring to the Middle Eastern people being once enslaved and now become "slavemasters", then you need to re-examine your knowledge of history.. for that my dear is not true. Stop citing other people's affairs and deal with the problem at hand ... that is this government not only slaps our own people in the face, but now have the audacity to do it to the foreign workers (who work well mind you) and hide behind walls of Glass.
This is precisely why they were imported. They are cheap, they have no union, they can live in one room barrack yards, and apparently they don't have to be fed. Thus they are profitable and efficient labor. Except now, the ungrateful wretches are protesting, instead of working hard. That is what the Trinidad work ethic does to good workers. It corrupts them. It did the same thing to our African workers, it did the same thing to our Indian workers. After a while you could not get any of them to do a d*** thing without paying them good money!
massa!
Sir/Madam,I normally do not respond to comments without a name.However,it's a fair question and was asked respectfully,so I will recognise your claim.I do not actually recall,if I agreed with some aspect of this issue.But,as I am sure that you would agree,that this particular area of this matter has it's own merit for disscussion. This is not whether the foreign workers should be here,but the specific issue of Payment for Service.My position is if the Government allowed,or facilitated immigrants,as workers in this country,they are responsible for their Welfare while here.It's a narrower issue.I hope I have answer your question.Thank you for participating in this wonderful forum.Isn't it great and nice of the Express to accommodate us?Aubert Modeste
As a construction site manager the pnm is not to be held responsible for the non payment , they were employed by the beijing luiuan company the govt. should look into the matter
The P.N.M. is and should not be responsible for anything.It's the Government.That's suppose to be a big difference,however,things are what they are it sweet T@T.Aubert Modeste
In the first instance the contractor is required to make payment to it's workers and suppliers. When this fails, there are provisions in any standard contract that all workers and sub-contractors must be paid by the General or Prioncipal Contractor. This is when the Client enforces the conditions of the contract. The Client is the Government and it's superintendent should be acting on this as a matter of urgency. This happens often with non payment issues, but this is now a political issue and very harmfull for Trinidad's already shattered image. Either way, more incompetence from the PNM.
Roy from OZ
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