THE labour movement on Monday demanded that the Government should not extend the state of emergency by an additional three months in order to reduce the number of covid19 cases in Trinidad and Tobago.
The National Trade Union Centre (Natuc), Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOS (Fitun) made this demand in a joint statement ahead of Wednesday's 1.30 pm sitting of the House of Representatives.
The Prime Minister will open debate then on a motion to extend the SoE for a further three months.
In its statement, the labour movement said, "We demand that the Government withdraw this proposed unjustified extension and put measures in place to ensure that there is some transparency in Parliament to determine if there is justification for their decision to declare the SoE and the imposition of the specific measures to address the current situation."
The movement urged all citizens, political parties and civil society to join them in this call.
It called for the creation of a civil society forum to determine the efficacy of the SoE's measures to reduce the number of covid19 cases in Trinidad and Tobago and if they caused any unwarranted restrictions on human rights.
"As patriotic citizens we must take a stand against tyranny, economic oppression, pauperisation and government’s lack of respect for any other voices within the society."
The movement said its supports any measures to curb and/or reduce the spread of covid19.
But itadded, "We believe that any measures implemented must be done in a proportional and temporal (sic) manner."
It claimed all the SoE has been to date "is a measure to intimidate and prevent all the voices that would criticize the Government’s anti-people agenda."
The movement said it is ironic that the decision to extend the SoE came after its decision to declare September 1 "Freedom Day," with the SoE originally scheduled to end on August 29.
The unions claimed an extension of the SoE to November 29 exposes a fundamental contradiction, with different sectors of the economy and schools being reopened "while at the same time, restricting the freedom and civil liberties of the citizens."
While acknowledging the SoE restricts public movement and prevents the spread of covid19, the movement was concerned that it also gives the State unfettered powers to do things such as restrict public meetings and enter private premises without a warrant.
The movement also claimed Government could use the SoE to conceal potentially draconian measures such as the planned restructuring of state enterprises and possible austerity measures in the upcoming 2021/2022 budget.
The SoE took effect from midnight on May 15. Without parliamentary approval, the SoE would have remained in effect until May 29.
The House sat on May 24 and approved a three-month extension from May 29 to August 29.
Last week, Parliament said the House will sit on Wednesday and the main
