Your right to join a union

• Freedom of association. The Industrial Relations Act states that nothing in it may take away the freedom of workers to associate in trade unions.
• No punishment for membership. Under section 42 of the Industrial Relations Act, an employer must not dismiss you, or harm your job in any way, because you are a union member or officer, or because you gave evidence in proceedings under the Act. Threatening you over union membership is also prohibited.
• Real penalties. An employer who breaks section 42 faces a fine of TT$10,000 and up to one year's imprisonment, and the Industrial Court can order your reinstatement and repayment of lost wages.

• Only a union (or the employer) can report a trade dispute to the Minister of Labour, including a dispute about dismissal.
• You must be a "member in good standing" for a union to report a dispute for you where there is no recognised union at your workplace. The Ministry defines this as having paid union dues for eight weeks before the union reports the dispute. That is why it pays to join before you have a problem.
• A recognised majority union is one that represents more than half the workers in a bargaining unit. It negotiates a collective agreement with the employer, which lasts three to five years and is registered with the Industrial Court.

1. Find the union for your industry. Ask co-workers, or contact the Ministry of Labour for guidance.
2. Complete the membership form and agree how dues will be paid (often by payroll deduction, which you authorise in writing).
3. Keep proof of membership and of your dues payments.

The Industrial Relations Act does not apply to household workers employed in a private home, public officers, members of the protective services, the Teaching Service, Central Bank staff, and managers who set policy. Public servants have their own associations and procedures.

1. Choose a union that will accept you. If you work for a small private company, a general union is usually the best fit, because it accepts members from many industries. Examples include the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union, the Amalgamated Engineering and General Workers' Trade Union and the Federated Workers Trade Union. Unions that focus on one sector, such as energy or government, are less likely to accept you if you work elsewhere.
2. Contact the union. Call or visit the union's office and ask for a membership application. Before you join, ask:
   • Do you accept members from my industry and from small workplaces with no union?
   • How much are the dues, and how do I pay them?
   • Will you represent me at the Ministry of Labour and the Industrial Court if I have a dispute?
3. Pay your dues and keep every receipt. If your workplace has no recognised union, your employer will not deduct dues from your pay. Pay the union directly, by standing order or in person, and keep every receipt. Your receipts prove you are a member in good standing.
4. Join before you have a problem. A union can only report a dispute for you if you have paid at least eight weeks of dues before the dispute is reported. If you join after you are dismissed, the union cannot take up that dismissal. Think of membership like insurance: it has to be in place first.

• You do not need your employer's permission to join a union, and you do not have to tell your employer that you have joined.
• It is an offence under the Industrial Relations Act for an employer to dismiss or penalise you because you joined a union.
• Household workers in private homes, public officers, and members of the protective services and the Teaching Service cannot use a union to take a dispute to the Industrial Court.
• If you do not want to join a union, you can get free advice from the Ministry of Labour's Conciliation, Advisory and Advocacy Division (CAAD). See I've been dismissed. What now? for office details.

Union names are given as examples only and are not an endorsement. Check that a union is registered with the Registrar of Trade Unions before you join.