Some 200 employees of the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR), Trinidad House, Port-of-Spain, yesterday heeded advice from the Public Services Association (PSA) to refuse to work at the building because of unhealthy conditions.
PSA president Watson Duke made the announcement during a news conference at PSA head office on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain.
He said more than 20 workers were suffering from respiratory problems caused by the building. Duke said the workers have evidence to support the claims.
According to Duke, the PSA wrote to the Minister of Finance Colm Imbert informing him of the workers’ concerns but there has been no response to date.
Duke said because of the unhealthy conditions, “we have advised our workers not to work within Trinidad House, BIR.”
He said Trinidad House was an empty building early yesterday afternoon.
“Workers have been advised (to leave) and they have complied,” he said, adding that “tomorrow the same will continue and we will extend to the other areas where we have BIR workers working.”
Duke called on Imbert to ensure that the BIR workers in the Treasury Building were in a sound and healthy condition, otherwise the PSA intends to initiate legal action.
“We are now saying there will be zero, zero, zero tolerance where health and safety is concerned,” Duke said, in an apparent reference to the Finance Minister’s recent remark about the wage offer to public servants.
Duke criticised Imbert saying all he does is try to belittle workers in this country.
He was also critical of a proposal by Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus for citizens to go to Canada to seek employment as truck drivers.
Baptiste-Primus spoke of the measure during her contribution to the budget debate last month.
“To me it is the most insipid statement I have ever heard,” Duke said.