INDUSTRIAL action at its Trinidadian parent has forced Caribbean Cement Company (Carib Cement) to temporarily package its flagship product with Spanish labels.

Carib Cement announced yesterday that it has been unable to receive bags from Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) because of an ongoing strike at the Trinidad-based factory. The cement manufacturer has subsequently been forced to pack its 42.5-kilogramme Carib Cement Plus product in Spanish-labelled bags, carrying the brand names Carib Cement OPC and TCL Premium Plus.

“It’s the same Carib Cement Plus, except that it will be in bags that don’t say Carib Cement Plus,” explained Carib Cement public relations officer Lystra Sharp.

“In order to supply the market here, we are utilising the bags we have in stock,” she told Jamaica Observer.

TCL workers went on strike six weeks ago over a heated wage dispute with the company. The workers are demanding a 12 per cent increase in wages.

The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), which represents the TCL workers, served strike notice on the company on March 5 after rejecting a 6.5 per cent wage increase offer, reported the Trinidad Express. TCL later withdrew a seven per cent wage increase offer, reverted to its initial proposal of 6.5 per cent and refused to continue negotiations with the OWTU, which they blame for “acts of violence and terror tactics against the company”, reported the newspaper. The union is however demanding a 12 per cent wage increase, albeit down from its original 16 per cent demand.

Jamaica-based Carib Cement sought to assure local customers that it has an adequate supply of bags in stock to fill the needs of the domestic market “for at least a few weeks”. Sharpe said that the company received approval from the Bureau of Standards Jamaica to use the alternative packaging. Additional information will be printed on the bags in keeping with local standard specifications, inclusive of the date of manufacture and batch number. Additionally, Carib Plus flyers with information on the safety tips and general information will be made available at points of sale.

What’s more is that Carib Cement has already identified an outside supplier that could provide the company with bags should the TCL strike action continue for an extended period.

“TCL will be back hopefully, but if they are not, we have already located another source of supply,” Sharpe said.

Carib Cement recorded a consolidated loss of $1.41 billion for the nine months ending September 31, 2011, worse than the $1.14 billion loss it posted over the first nine months of 2010.