Welcome to the website of Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU). Our Union is the Caribbean’s premier finance sector Union and also represents workers in the media and professional sectors.
The deputy chief executive officer of First Citizens Bank has been featured as welcoming the Finance Minister’s budgetary proposal to divest State owned shares at that financial institution. She professed her anxiety for “ordinary” citizens to own shares. Media enquiries to the representative Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union have focused on what objections the Union could have to its members becoming shareholders at that institution.
BIGWU Rejects Creeping Erosion of Civil and Political Rights
The hidden agenda of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration has now come fully to light with the Police Commissioner’s decision to deny the request of the People’s National Movement to hold its traditional post-Budget public discussion at Piggott’s Corner in Belmont. The refusal to grant permission to the elected Parliamentary Opposition, clearly illustrates definite political interference or at the very least an unwanted and undesirable political influence on decision making by the Commissioner of Police.
The Banking Insurance and General Workers Union is appalled and disgusted but not in any way surprised, by yesterday’s statement made by Minister Bhoe Tewari in his capacity as Minister of the Economy, while addressing the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association. Minister Tewari bemoaned the level of State ownership of the economy and protested that “for forty years the State had dominated the economy”. He then complemented that view by saying that “labour has been behaving badly”.
GENEVA (ILO news)- The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Juan Somavía, announced today that he will bring forward the date of his departure from his post to the second half of 2012 due to strong personal reasons that require him to be closer to his family.
The Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU) as a member Trade Union of the NATIONAL TRADE UNION CENTRE and as a part of the JOINT TRADE UNION MOVEMENT is appalled and disgusted at the latest statement emanating from the offices of the Employers Consultative Association. While we have grown accustomed to the usual anti-trade union sentiments which have been expressed by the ECA from time to time, this latest attack on the trade Union movement by what is regarded as the premier employer organisation in Trinidad and Tobago, is indeed worthy of outright condemnation. The statement is backward and reminiscent of the 1970’s period where the ECA told the government that it must take the fight to the nation’s trade union.
BIGWU President speaks on TT and International Economy
1. How the international slowdown impacts on the economy of T&T?
T&T is a mono-crop economy which rises and falls ON THE CONDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INDUSTRY. We are price takers and not price makers and we do not control the industry which is controlled by TNCs .Our economy is still colonial in structure. WE export what we produce and we import what we consume. Example: food $4billion worth. The energy sector provide close to 60% of government revenue and 90% of foreign exchange.
