Unions call for dismissal of Labour Minister

Port-of-Spain: A strong lobby from a large section of the Trade Union movement for Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to remove Errol McLeod as Labour Minister. The unions are accusing the minister of being a non-performer.

The National Union of Government and Federated Workers, the Amalgamated Workers Union and the Contractors and General Workers Union say the minister has been ignoring trade unions other than the Oilfields Workers Trade Union which he once represented.

They say he does not have labour's best interest at heart.

Minister McLeod says that in his opinion The leader of the NUGFW James Lambert has demonstrated "what a complete and irrevocable fool he is".  

McLeod dismissed the notion that he has been focusing on OWTU business only. He says he has intervened in several issues through the conciliation process.

The Labour Minister made it clear that he represents the interests of all workers equally and although he may not sit in conciliation talks himself, he gets regular reports from the officers who represent him.

He says it may well be that Lambert has frustrated himself.

Lambert says he has had five agreements before the Ministry of Labour since 2008 but Minister McLeod reminds him that he only came to the Ministry in 2010.