PSA Trinidad & Tobago

Message from His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards TC, CMT, Ph. D,

President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the Occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of the Public Services Association, November, 2008.

Let me begin by congratulating the Public Services Association on achieving seventy years of advocacy on behalf of Public Servants in Trinidad and Tobago. The pioneers of your Association shared the stage with other stalwarts in the trade union movement who championed the cause of workers in the colonial system. They risked much in bringing to the fore the needs of workers
The circumstances that prevailed seventy years ago when your organization was formed were very different from what we see today. But what continues to be relevant and has always been constant, is the need to ensure that the conditions that apply to employees of the State reflect the expectations of its employees to enjoy a decent standard of living.
I believe that over the years, while you may not have achieved all that you set out to achieve on behalf of your clients, you would have recorded significant successes. The P.S.A. remains one of the most dynamic and vibrant bargaining organizations in the country and it is to your credit that successive executives have not lost sight of the focus on respect for the work of Public Servants.
From the administrative standpoint, you have been able to function with a level of subscriptions which made it possible for maximum participation on the part of Public Servants, giving you the advantage of numbers. If I recall correctly, the monthly subscription stood at twenty dollars, for a very long time. One can understand why it has moved in an upward direction. It is the reality of the times.

Public Service bargaining cannot be easy, as the needs of your several categories of clients vary considerably. It is therefore most commendable that you have been able to retain their trust.
The Public Services Association is a significant contributor to the trade union movement, the State being the employer of the largest number of workers in the country. Your responsibility embraces a mandate to secure for these workers proper recompense for the work that they are required to do, as an example to the rest of the nation's employers. The attendant expectation is that the quality of work in the Public Service will, likewise, set the pace.
Your role in the development of the country should not be undervalued and if I may, I suggest that you take every opportunity to equip yourselves adequately for the sometimes complex negotiations in which you must engage.
Complex, as you know, does not necessarily mean adversarial and you may find that it is a good investment to make full use of the educational facilities at the Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies. Development of the human resources available to you cannot but enhance your ability to develop and maintain the appropriate balance in the area of the industrial relations arena where you function.
In closing, may I wish your Executive and all of your membership a Happy Anniversary and best wishes for the future.

George Maxwell Richards