Who is holding up whom?

There have been a number of cases of attacks on Mauritian banks recorded in the media. These have to be condemned and both serious action and penalties taken against the perpetrators.

However, let us turn the tables upside down and ask the question, ?Where are the hold ups by the banks on the Mauritian public??

In l?express of 26th August 2007 I explained how it took two months to have an American cheque credited to my Mauritian account.

Now I learn that it takes 5 days for my Mauritian cheque from one bank to be credited to another Mauritian bank which is situated 200 yards away.

An Aldabra tortoise could arrive more quickly.

And in this electronic age, I would have thought? well anyway.

My cheques are small but when they are multiplied by the thousands of Mauritians who use the banks daily, why this delay? Does keeping this money add to some cash flow benefit for banks?

Perhaps Ali Mansoor who achieved great success with the then PTA (now COMESA) clearing house could clarify and help speed up matters.

Secondly, how can Mauritian banks justify a 13% or 14% interest rate on borrowing when the US has cut its rates to 2% and Islamic banks are offering development credit at 1%? And the government wonders why private sector companies which live on cash flow, especially in the manufacturing sector, are down sizing and stopping investment in the island!!

Peter CRAIG

Should hindi teachers remain GTU members?

A good number of hindi teachers are members of GTU but GTU has no right to negociate on behalf of hindi teachers.

The reason is simple ? GHTU has sole recognition for hindi teachers. This means that no other union can negotiate for hindi teachers.

In recent years a good number of hindi teachers have become members of GTU. Many questions are arising on this issue.

(i) Should a union continue to keep and recruit members for which it has no right to negociate?

(ii) Should a union have in the composition of the executive council members for whom it has no right to negotiate? Why should a union include in its executive Council members for whom are they representing? For whom will they negotiate.

It is high time that this anomaly be corrected in the amended version of IRA.

However if GTU has more members (hindi teachers) than GHTU, then is it not high time for GTU to fight for sole recognition for hindi teachers? If GTU has the same number of hindi teachers than GHTU, then should it not claim joint negociating panel with GHTU for hindi teachers?

Whatever be the issue it is high time that a second union start defending hindi teachers. If the need for another union to be formed to defend hindi teachers is found ? that union should be formed. There are a thousand reasons for this.

Trade Union Analyst