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THE COMMUNICATIONS Workers’ Union (CWU) has distanced itself from the Joint Trade Union Movement’s (JTUM) endorsement of the 2026 national budget, saying it cannot support a fiscal plan that prioritises “balance sheets over bread and butter.” In a statement issued on October 24, the CWU said that while it remains a member of JTUM, it holds dissenting views on the budget and should not be grouped with other unions that have expressed support for the government’s fiscal measures. The union said it was “instructive to note that the utterances of unions do not always address the views of all unions,” and rejected the notion that JTUM’s position represented the collective voice of organised labour. “The CWU is independent and should not be included as a collective while having dissenting views from JTUM on the national budget,” the statement said. While JTUM president general Ancel Roget reportedly described the budget as a “rescue mission for workers,” the CWU said it could not share that assessment. “While the government has characterised this budget as one of ‘stability and resilience,’ the realities facing working people, retirees, and the unemployed tell a different story,” the CWU said. “It simply falls short of addressing the lived experience of workers who continue to face rising costs of food, transportation, utilities and rent, while wages remain stagnant for over a decade. Despite the many calls for policies and reform, of which a structured cost-of-living adjustment mechanism has been one to be addressed, there is no meaningful provision to restore the purchasing power of workers eroded by inflation and devaluation.” The union also criticised what it called the government’s “neglect of the productive sector,” saying there was “minimal allocation toward the revitalisation of manufacturing, agriculture, and industrial diversification,” leaving workers “underutilised and underpaid, even as foreign-exchange shortages persist. “Although this budget was presented under the banner of fiscal discipline, as an independent trade union in service to our members and the underprivileged (NOT the PNM nor the UNC), we cannot support a national budget being touted as a ‘people’s budget’ that prioritises balance sheets over bread and butter,” the statement said. CWU secretary general Joanne Ogeer later told Newsday the release was issued to clarify the union’s position after comments made in Parliament referencing the CWU’s earlier budget analysis. “This press release comes after the Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities stated…JTUM’s position on the budget in his contribution after Brian Manning referenced CWU’s analysis, which formed part of the parliamentary picong between the MP for La Brea and Manning,” she said. Ogeer added that the CWU “remains independent and critical of any government in power, and (holds) them to account,” stressing that while the union is part of JTUM, it does not always share the federation’s views. “The union felt compelled to clearly state that although CWU is a part of JTUM, similarly, as we have not pledged our support to be a part of the coalition of interest, our views on the budget are respectfully not aligned to those of JTUM’s head and even further commentators who collectively use the word ‘unions’ in contentious issues at hand,” she said.
