Trinidad and Tobago: After being locked out of the Carib Brewery's Champs Fleurs compound for 58 days, 875 employees will be returning to work by Friday, Trinidad Express posted on July 21. Employees have staged their own protest action after wage, pension and benefits negotiations stalled between Carib management and the National Union of Government and Federated Workers Union weeks ago. But the company and the union met all day yesterday in an attempt to resolve the impasse which severely depleted the production of beer at the brewery.

It has caused a shortage of Carib and Stag beers throughout the country in recent weeks and also resulted in million-dollar losses for the company. Carl St Rose, president of the Carib section of NUGFW workers, told the Express last night that Carib called the union back to the negotiating table. After the meeting, the company agreed to open the gates to the employees later this week. The union has not accepted a 12 per cent wage increase and this matter is expected to go the Industrial Court.

Union members and management will continue to discuss pension plan, productivity bonuses and other benefits, St Rose said. Carib's public relations manager Colin Murray said it was difficult to say exactly when productivity levels would be back to normal at the plant but it could be within about two weeks. He stressed that the company would be placing as much product as it can to retailers across the country.

National Trade Union Centre president Robert Giuseppi told TV6 News last night that yesterday's decision signalled that the "warfare has ended", and employees will be working by Friday with the company agreeing to continue negotiations in good faith.

21 July, 2004