“[…] Short-term contract labour has been in widespread use throughout the Regional Health Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago ever since the establishment of the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) in the 1990s… Short-term contract workers obviously suffer anxiety over their job security and are at a disadvantage when it comes to …
Read More »‘Downright dangerous!’ MSJ condemns Jacob’s explanation for use of tear gas on protesters
“[…] What is also of extreme concern was the statement made by more than one senior police officer, including by the CoP (Ag) McDonald Jacob, that the tear gas was used shortly after protesters started chanting ‘Rowley must go’. “Mr Jacob surmised that this chant could have been the precursor …
Read More »Dear Editor: Minister West should focus on better service at public offices, not dress code
“[…] In many cases, there are just one or two cashiers out of a possible nine or ten to service very long lines while other employees casually mingle and make small talk in full view of the public, who are already agitated by the poor service! “The government might as …
Read More »Dear Editor: Prime Minister is feeling strain of bungled public sector vaccination drive
“[…] The Prime Minister was forced to concede defeat on his ‘mandatory/safe zones’ initiatives for the public sector. Not only was that completely bungled by his Attorney General-turned-Minister of Labour, recently turned Minister of Marine Affairs, but the labour movements called his bluff. “He now has to move his deadline …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: England T20 series is acid test for WI captain and team; Skerritt’s struggles
“[…] For West Indies cricket fans, an ODI series defeat to Ireland, following immediately as it would be on the team’s ignominious loss of the T20 series in Pakistan, would be incomprehensible. Even more so because the Pakistan series loss was preceded by the WI’s most embarrassing and highly forgettable …
Read More »MSJ: The PNM and UNC have ‘colluded’ to kill Bill to regulate campaign financing
“[…] The MSJ condemns the PNM and UNC, as they have in effect colluded to kill the The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill. “[…] If it ever becomes law, it would require political parties to be registered similarly to companies and mandate that parties present audited financial statements and …
Read More »Dear Editor: Arima was capital of east Trinidad; now it’s a ‘lost and forgotten borough’
“[…] Today, when we look at this cherished town that can boast of being the country’s only Royal Chartered Borough—a status granted by Queen Victoria in 1888—we see only a battered and bruised community which has lost all the facilities that made it so special and is now reduced to …
Read More »Dear Editor: ‘For 1950s’ audiences in T&T, seeing Sidney Poitier on screen […] was a revelation’
“[…] For 1950s’ audiences in Trinidad and Tobago, seeing Sidney Poitier on screen in significant roles was a revelation. This was no longer Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen of Gone with the Wind, Stepin’ Fetchit of so many stereotyped portrayals of the black buffoon or the walk-on appearances by black …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: Haynes, Sarwan inclusion a boost, but fitness issues, coaching doubts linger
“[…] The Sir Desmond Haynes-led panel should, as its very first order of business, announce the implementation of a new selection-related fitness policy. “Our suggested policy would require all CWI contracted players as well as those others who are in contention for immediate selection on West Indies teams to be …
Read More »NJAC: Govt must overhaul health system, consult labour workers and implement hazard allowance
“[…] NJAC calls on the Government to urgently implement […] a special hazard allowance or similar benefit […] for all frontline workers throughout the health sector. “NJAC notes with interest, that there is already a precedent for this existing throughout the Caribbean and other parts of the world…” The following …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: WI cricket history and coaches in schools, a CPL rejig and other 2022 recommendations
“[…] CWI must request the governments of its member countries to mandate, by September 2022, the addition of West Indies cricket history to the curriculum of all primary and secondary schools within the region. “CWI should similarly ask governments to also mandate the addition of a paid cricket coach to …
Read More »Baldeosingh: Education system deprives and abuses black children
“[…] The pattern here is undeniable: the schools with the highest Excelling to Academic Watch ratio are located in Caroni and Victoria, while the obverse ratio is found in the Port-of-Spain and South Eastern areas. The other six areas have more or less equal ratios of good to bad schools. …
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