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Thirteen years have passed since health care workers, Lake Asphalt employees and other workers last received a salary adjustment. In 2026, they remain stuck on 2013 wages while the cost‑of‑living climbs higher every day.
Postal workers have fared even worse, still bound to 2010 salaries—16 years without relief.
(via TTRNA.)
The People’s National Movement (PNM) must bear the blunt of the blame. For over a decade, collective bargaining periods were left unsettled, agreements signed but never implemented and workers offered crumbs while politicians enriched themselves through hefty increases from the Salaries Review Commission.
Even the then Prime Minister admitted the repercussions of accepting such increases, yet workers were left behind. More than a decade of neglect is the PNM’s legacy.
The United National Congress (UNC) campaigned on upliftment, promising a 10% increase for public servants under the refrain: “When UNC wins, everybody wins.”
Photo: UNC.
But what played out thereafter was broken promises cloaked in deception. One year into office, government officials revealed that political support and alliances determined who benefitted—conditions never disclosed when the promise was made.
A level playing field was denied and many workers still remain trapped on 2013 wages, while promises of fairness have already eroded into mistrust.
And the record speaks for itself: the evidence of treatment and settlements exposes the truth. Unions that openly joined the coalition of interests were granted preferential increases, while others were sidelined.
Photo: UNC.
Worse still, the 10% offer itself came with conditions never revealed on the campaign trail. Workers expected cash payments, yet non‑cash settlements are now being placed on the table—a shift that deepens mistrust and underscores the betrayal.
Even where agreements were signed, implementation has been inconsistent and delayed. Promises were never honoured across the board, justice was never really delivered, and workers remain betrayed by words that proved hollow.
The Trade Union Movement cannot be absolved. While politicians bear the greater blame, Unions allowed egos, political allegiances and poor leadership to weaken efficient and professional representation.
The result was not abstract—it was felt in the pockets of workers who remained stuck on 2010 and 2013 salaries, while their supposed defenders faltered. Years slipped by without relief and silence became complicity. And now disunity is eroding Labour’s relevance in the eyes of the public.
If Unions are to endure, they must stand on principle, maintain independence and fulfill the mandate to defend working‑class citizens as a matter of national duty.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Workers deserve leaders who fight with urgency, integrity and independence and governments that show a duty of care and honour their word.
Photo: Newsday.
Labour must confront its failures, restore credibility and prove it still has the strength to defend workers where governments have failed.
Above all, the PNM must answer for more than a decade of neglect and the UNC must answer for one year and four months of promises exposed as hollow.
The betrayal and neglect are complete, but the fight continues. Workers must rise, because only their struggle can turn defeat into justice.
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Bryan St Louis is a former education officer for the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).
