Cement workers on strike

Claxton Bay: Workers at Trinidad Cement Limited are now on strike.

The strike notice was served on TCL's General Manager Satnarine Bachoo by the acting president general of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union Carlton Gibson at 11 am and was with immediate effect.

Minutes after the notice was served workers began walking off the job.

Strike notice was also served on the management of TCL Packaging.

The OWTU had placed consumers on alert this past weekend of the strike notice after negotations with the company's management broke down.

TCL had said on Friday that it had made a request for an extension of time to bring amicable resolution to the negotiations.

However it said this request was denied by the union.  

The company says 95 percent of the matters under negotiation have already been settled and the remaining items are directly related to general increases and the profit-sharing scheme.

The company has a 6.5 percent offer on the table while the union is asking for 16 percent.

In addition TCL says it has proposed an additional three percent wage increase through a gain-share scheme.

TCL and TCL Packaging are yet to respond.