The Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) is expected to meet with People's National Movement (PNM)leader Dr Keith Rowley on Friday.

The group wrote to Rowley yesterday calling for the meeting at a venue yet to be disclosed.

In a telephone interview, Ancel Roget, Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) president general and leader of the JTUM, said he was willing to meet with any group that stood up against poor governance, but said this meeting did not signal any coalition with the Opposition.

"This is not an alliance with the PNM," said Roget.

Roget said the unions were "dissatisfied and appalled at the Prime Minister's response" to their call for the removal of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan over the Section 34 fiasco.

"For reasons best known to her, the Prime Minister has once again placed her credibility on the line. For his role and involvement in the entire disgraceful affair she is without option in the matter, he must be dismissed. We further maintain our stand that the Minister of National Security, for his boundary-less arrogance, contempt and disrespect for the President and the Clergy, must also be dismissed," the group said in a release.

Last week, at the height of the Section 34 controversy, the JTUM issued a statement calling for the removal of Ramlogan, now former minister of justice Herbert Volney and Minister of National Security Jack Warner.

In that statement, they demanded that those three Government members be removed within a 48-hour period and threatened to "join forces in a broad-based national front to determine the necessary mass actions towards this objective".

"Since that time has expired it is now imminent that action must be taken," the JTUM said.

The group met on Tuesday night and said they deliberated extensively on the Prime Minister's refusal to dismiss the Attorney General.

"We also discussed letters from both the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Keith Rowley, MP requesting a meeting with JTUM and the political leader of the Movement for Social Justice, David Abdulah, calling for a 'round table' meeting," the JTUM said.

Abdulah said he too spoke with Rowley about the possibility of round table discussions on Friday. He said he expected a favourable response.

The JTUM is an amalgamation of 17 trade union groups representing workers across the country. —Renuka Singh