Talks have begun among regional unions to deal with a matter that general secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU), Thomas Letang, described as “a long standing one.”
According to Letang many companies in the region and Dominica are discouraging their employees from being unionized.
He pointed to an issue involving telecommunication giant, LIME, which plans to make 28 employees redundant as it outsources services to Sweden-based Ericson.
“One of the things that we are fully aware of is that Ericson does not encourage its employees to join unions. They would prefer to give the employees contracts and not to be unionized,” he said. “So they do not really push for the employees to be unionized … that is an issue that we have to deal with where you find people have to lose their jobs, some of them may be rehired by a new company but they may not be free to belong to a union”.
He mentioned the law in Dominica stipulates that employees have a right to join a union.
“That is definitely against the Constitution, Section 11 which stipulates that people have a right to join, and to belong to a union of their choice, associations of their choice including unions,” he noted.
Letang said over the years Dominica has seen companies just coming to the island and setting up shop without giving employees the opportunity to join unions. “We have the example of the people at the call center where they were discouraged every time they try to move to be unionized; we have some banks in Dominica where people are not allowed to be unionized and if the employees make any move to join a union, that person is singled out and dealt with,” he revealed.
He said the matter is being addressed by unions across the region. “Right now the unions throughout the Caribbean, and one of the international union to which we are affiliated, are addressing the situations,” he said.
Letang, why would I want to be unionized when you can only get me 0%? Man, go play your little politics as usual eh.
I’m advocating that all workers have the right to join any trade union that they feel to join but let’s analize this another way!
If I were to have a company and I decided to hire workers on contractual terms,who would think that I should not beable to do that, now what use would any union be beneficial to these workers?I’m just asking
Unions are parasites living off hard working people and offer poor representation.
With the type of representation Unions have been giving to their workers, what is the purpose of joining a Union?
You guys accept 0 0 1% salary increase, while the politicians double their salary, you stimulate the workers to demand 5% and after you drop them like a hot potato.
I’m in solidarity with the workers but sadly the all the Unions have sold them out since Charles Savarin used them for his own selfish motives in the 1970s, and that of Eugenia and the Freedom Party.
Employees should be free to decide whether to join a union or not. Neither cajoling by the unions nor threats by employers are acceptable. We would not want to arrive at a point where unions enforce a closed shop, giving them virtual control of how a company is run. Why does mr. Letangs’s union not buy shares in Lime or Domlec for example, which would be good for the employees all round.
Mr. Letang, you have lost all credibility. Last month when the unions very successful struggles were being re-written in the “public square”, you remained silent and never moved a finger to putthe record straight – not defending Charles Savarin, but putting in the proper perspective and context the history of successive victories by the union over the employer, particularly the head of the employer agency in the 1970’s. you and your blue management team remained mute, death and dumb, oblivious to failed attempts to deny the broad mass of union membership their just recognition for waging a strong challenge to dictatorial leadeRship. Today you are lamenting?
This man and his union is a BIG JOKE….Letang workers are better off without you and your inept union. Dominicans need to find a way to form a new trade union that would truly represent the interest of workers in this country. Letang, you are the epitome of a political tool…….
Anything apparently which is not made in the IMAGE AND LIKENESS of ROOSVELT SKERRIT is a problem for these brain-dead labourites . A constitutional issue is at stake here and this joker is focusing on the tree and not the forest – I’m not surprised, the constitution has been so trampled on and disregarded by this egregious labour administration that, anything of constitutional value means absolutely nothing to these inept apologists
Stop playing politics Mr Latang and represent we the workers properly.
long time
that’s how they operate .. divide and rule.