At an emergency meeting held by members of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) yesterday, the organisation's president Watson Duke has given government a mandate to get its act together by the end of this month.
Duke called on Finance Minister Colm Imbert to immediately pay outstanding monies to public servants by the end of this month and also demanded that government "get crime under control" by January 31, this year.
"We are calling upon the Minister of Finance to treat squarely, frontally and urgently the outstanding wage increases for the respective unions dated as far back as 2007.
"Furthermore there is currently a signed and agreed wage increase between the Seamen Workers' Union (SWWTU) and the Port Authority leading up to 2017 and the minister of finance is not treating with it," Duke said.
Regarding pension, Duke said this matter was between the individual union and its members, adding that daily paid workers were especially "disenfranchised."
"We will not sit down and allow government to force workers who are tired and frustrated to go one year beyond their 60 years.
"Let the government come and treat with the respective unions individually and let us sign on the appropriate agreements as the members may desire," Duke said.
Saying that citizens were continually being held to ransom due to inflation Duke, speaking at a press conference held at the SWWTU Hall, Port-of-Spain said the cost of living had become increasingly difficult for many.
He also accused Imbert of not being interested in having discussions with the union.
"The only response the minister of finance is interested in is having discussions with the Revenue Authority.
"He is only interested in bringing money in but not sharing the money on the inside with those on the outside," Duke said.
Natuc's first vice-president James Lambert who also spoke reiterated that daily rated workers must be treated fairly like everyone else and be given a pension which was agreed upon by the previous administration.