(Trinidad Guardian) Likening themselves as a phoenix, supposedly rising out of the ashes of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU), the Republic Workers Union (RWU) officially launched yesterday.
President of RWU Jason Thomas told those gathered at the St Augustine Community Centre that he and his executive will take the membership of Republic Bank, the largest single entity within the amalgamation, out of BIGWU and go after other sectors.
Yesterday’s official launch came a year after four members were suspended by BIGWU president Don Devenish. The Central Executive Committee members suspended were Jason Brown (Deputy President), Nadine Baksh (General Secretary), Naresh Rampersad (Deputy General Secretary), and Stacy Ann Lewis (Assistant General Secretary).
The accusations were that the members had undermined Devenish’s authority by planning a retirement function as he was nearing his 65th birthday in July. They were accused of undermining his authority.
Devenish and Brown, now RWU’s labour relations officer, had been at loggerheads for some time before the suspension. Guardian Media reported then that they were at loggerheads over financial matters within the union.
“RWU was formed with one goal in mind,” Thomas told the gathered. “To provide a focused, dedicated voice for workers in the financial services industry. As workers of Republic Bank Limited, we saw the need for a union that understood our unique challenges. A union that will advocate tirelessly on behalf of workers. This, among other things, is why we chose to separate ourselves from BIGWU.”
Sunday Guardian called the BIGWU president four times between 5 pm and 8 pm yesterday, but he did not answer or return the missed calls. Speaking with the Sunday Guardian after the executive members and shop stewards, led by Brown, took their oath of office, Thomas said his union plans to recruit members from under the BIGWU umbrella, which includes insurance agents and media practitioners.
“This is something that had to happen. It is not a matter of just being upset. We tried to warn them. We tried to get change to take place from the inside, to deal with the issues, and we were never taken on. So rather than fight to change something that you don’t want to change, let’s bring the correct thing to the people. Workers are now getting what they deserve: proper representation and a voice,” said Thomas.
He said that as the RWU fights to become the recognised union for financial institutions, two credit unions have already expressed interest in joining him.
He added that of the almost 2,000 Republic Bank members of BIGWU, about half have left, with many of them joining RWU.
