Letang blames trade unions for delay in forming Trade Union Congress

General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU), Thomas Letang, is putting the blame on other trade unions for their lack of timeliness and seriousness in establishing a Trade Union Congress in Dominica.

In sharing his sentiments at a press conference held on Wednesday, September 6th 2017 at the Public Service Union building in Roseau, Letang said that the DPSU sees this delay as a “big shame” considering that 2017 is the opportune time to have a congress.

“Day in day out we keep on saying to them ‘let’s start it,’ and sometimes all you get is a grin and nothing serious, and we are concerned. The Dominica Public Service Union is saying that it is a big shame that in 2017, we do not have a trade union congress,” he said.

He said that his union is “fed up” and “tired” of bringing up the idea to other unions who make no effort on the matter and other unions affiliated with the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) should simply “run with that idea.”

“I can speak for the Dominica Public Service Union, and I can say to you that I, tomorrow God’s willing – at least two other unions would say to us ‘we are prepared to form the Trade Union Congress,’ – we would be on board,” Letang said.

He believes that at this point, the DPSU is showing more interest in the formation of this congress than any other union in Dominica.

“Without calling names, I think if we were interested, at least the three unions; the DPSU and two other unions that would form that congress and the others would follow,” he said.

Letang remarked that the position of the DPSU is that if interest is shown in a particular venture or idea and other unionists are not on board, then “leave them behind and go ahead and form it.”