Social partners in Trinidad and Tobago prepare next steps for COVID-19 recovery
Top priorities identified for taking bipartite joint action plan forward
29 October 2021
As Trinidad and Tobago reopens its economy after several months of lockdown measures, representatives from employers’ and workers’ organizations recently met with ILO Caribbean to articulate the impacts of the ongoing pandemic and how to continue to effectively navigate the crisis.
“The ILO is pleased to provide a platform for dialogue where each social partner can share perspectives and priorities for the establishment of workplace policies to deal with the impact of COVID-19,” explained Dennis Zulu, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, as he welcomed participants.
The 90-minute interactive session, held virtually on 12 October 2021, focused on challenges for labour markets to adapt and recover during the evolving crisis, as well as possible solutions to overcome those obstacles. Mitigating job losses, revitalizing productivity, occupational safety and health standards, domestic violence, vaccinations, employee COVID-19 testing and strengthened social dialogue with Government were among the top priorities expressed by the social partners.
“The range of measures adopted to control the spread and impact of the COVID-19 virus has reverberated at all levels of society, impacting all citizens in one way of the other,” explained Keston Nancoo, Chairman of the Employers' Consultative Association (ECA) of Trinidad and Tobago. “In the sectors most impacted we have seen instances of business closures or restructuring of businesses for survival and survivability, which quite naturally have resulted in the need to redeploy and reorganize. In other circumstances we have seen the unfortunate reality of job losses.”
“Labour and capital go hand in hand, and one cannot exist without each other. The need for us to sit down and discuss these issues has become more important, given what is happening in Trinidad and Tobago. Let me thank the ECA and the Chamber for bilaterally meeting with trade unions to discuss what we should put in place in order for us to go forward,” said Michael Annisette.
During the deliberations, the bipartite constituents also received technical guidance from ILO experts Ariel Pino, Social Protection and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Specialist and Erica Martin, International Labour Standards (ILS) and Labour Law Specialist on guidelines from their respective portfolios for a gradual and safe return to work.
“Appropriate policies are needed related for vaccinations because we represent workers who are vaccinated and unvaccinated and we would want to be guided by international labour standards and conventions that speak to the issue of decent work. We look forward to continuing the dialogue on developing workplace policies in a COVID-19 environment,” advised Joseph Remy, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-governmental Organizations (FITUN).
The meeting also included perspectives from Sati Gajadhar Inniss, Labour Relations Officer of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), and Stephanie Fingal, Interim CEO of the ECA. The discussion concluded with an agreement to continue discussions bilaterally with an aim to strengthen tripartite social dialogue with the Government.
“The ILO is pleased to provide a platform for dialogue where each social partner can share perspectives and priorities for the establishment of workplace policies to deal with the impact of COVID-19,” explained Dennis Zulu, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, as he welcomed participants.
The 90-minute interactive session, held virtually on 12 October 2021, focused on challenges for labour markets to adapt and recover during the evolving crisis, as well as possible solutions to overcome those obstacles. Mitigating job losses, revitalizing productivity, occupational safety and health standards, domestic violence, vaccinations, employee COVID-19 testing and strengthened social dialogue with Government were among the top priorities expressed by the social partners.
“The range of measures adopted to control the spread and impact of the COVID-19 virus has reverberated at all levels of society, impacting all citizens in one way of the other,” explained Keston Nancoo, Chairman of the Employers' Consultative Association (ECA) of Trinidad and Tobago. “In the sectors most impacted we have seen instances of business closures or restructuring of businesses for survival and survivability, which quite naturally have resulted in the need to redeploy and reorganize. In other circumstances we have seen the unfortunate reality of job losses.”
“Labour and capital go hand in hand, and one cannot exist without each other. The need for us to sit down and discuss these issues has become more important, given what is happening in Trinidad and Tobago. Let me thank the ECA and the Chamber for bilaterally meeting with trade unions to discuss what we should put in place in order for us to go forward,” said Michael Annisette.
During the deliberations, the bipartite constituents also received technical guidance from ILO experts Ariel Pino, Social Protection and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Specialist and Erica Martin, International Labour Standards (ILS) and Labour Law Specialist on guidelines from their respective portfolios for a gradual and safe return to work.
“Appropriate policies are needed related for vaccinations because we represent workers who are vaccinated and unvaccinated and we would want to be guided by international labour standards and conventions that speak to the issue of decent work. We look forward to continuing the dialogue on developing workplace policies in a COVID-19 environment,” advised Joseph Remy, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-governmental Organizations (FITUN).
The meeting also included perspectives from Sati Gajadhar Inniss, Labour Relations Officer of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), and Stephanie Fingal, Interim CEO of the ECA. The discussion concluded with an agreement to continue discussions bilaterally with an aim to strengthen tripartite social dialogue with the Government.