St Clair: The country is bracing for a national stirke as discussions between 18 trade unions and the government ended in a stalemate today at the Office of the Prime MInister in St Clair.
The meeting lasted three and a half hours after which Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told the media that the two sides were right back to square one.
The prime minister said the discussions seemed fruitful with the unions and her team of ministers including the Public Administration Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie and the Labour Minister Errol McLeod among others, agreeing to begin negotiations at zero percent.
The prime minister says the agreements also saw positive dialogue on seven other matters but she says when there appeared to be light at the end of the tunnel, the union leaders again brought up the scrapping of the five percent wage increase, demanding more.
The prime minister says she informed the unions she did not have the power to negotiate but this is when talks ended.
She says she is hoping that things would change but the prime minister says she does not believe there would be a national strike, saying the Water Authority and several other wokers would not be engaging in the strike.
Meanwhile the labour leaders are saying that the prime minister in her frustration blurted out to them that they should go ahead and strike. They say as law-abiding citizens they will comply.
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