NAACIE takes TPL to regulator

Oct 07, 2010 News

– claims company breaching labour agreement

The National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) has clashed with Toolsie Persaud Group of Companies after union dues payments were halted earlier this year.
According to NAACIE in a statement issued yesterday, it has since caused the regulator, the Trade Union Recognition and Certificate Board (TUR&CB) to file charges against the company and its main principal, Toolie Persaud, for failure to enter into negotiations as recognized by law.
“The offence arose from the failure of Toolsie Persaud Limited and Mr. Toolsie Persaud to have negotiations or any other discussions with the NAACIE. The Union is recognized according to law to represent workers of certain categories employed by the TPL.”
The union claimed that the workers of the company are struggling to maintain membership of NAACIE and are coerced and threatened by “the Director” into withdrawing membership in a manner not in keeping with the Recognition Agreement signed between the parties on January 25, 1983.
“The company has ceased authorized payments of union dues to the union through the check off system since May, 2010. The General Secretary of NAACIE wrote the TUR&CB in letter dated February 24, 2010 seeking their intervention into this dispute which was in fact a breach of the law and (has) informed the board of the particulars of the breaches.”
According to NAACIE, some of the breaches by the company included “unilateral changes of working hours, none implementation of increase in meal allowance, breach of sick leave conditions (and) separation of at least four workers from the company.”
Additionally, the workers are reportedly being instructed to stay away from work equivalent to the overtime hours worked instead of being paid for the overtime and meals, according to accepted conditions.
“The Union was also pursuing the non-payment of NIS deducted for workers to the NIS and the refusal of annual leave to workers after their entitlement to amount for scores of days.”
NAACIE, however, in the release stated that the main dispute is the refusal of TPL to negotiate with the union for increase wages and better working conditions for those employees it is representing.
“The Union is prepared to assist in the representation of workers using their legal rights and will be monitoring the development in this case as a model for the new era of employers offering less long term benefits for employees by weakening the solidarity derived through Trade Unionization.”

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