“One late September weekend in 2017, a local TV news anchor ‘switched gears’ to a packaged story about a central Trinidad resident, whose home had been ‘ravaged’ by flooding, never mind he and his family were still living in it. The camera showed scenes of damage as the voice of the homeowner …
Read More »Wallace: It can’t be business as usual! TTFA membership urged to meet on DJW’s behaviour
“There is a feeling among members that it cannot be ‘business as usual’ if the affairs of the organisation continue to be in a state of abeyance.” The following is a letter from Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president William Wallace to the TTFA membership inviting them to meet to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Do stats confirm domestic violence ‘epidemic’? Baldeosingh examines
“The police get more than 1,800 domestic violence reports annually and about 1,300 of these involve physical violence. This works out to an average of 25 per day. This means that, if the mandate being demanded by activists is met, at least 50 police officers will be expending at least …
Read More »Pro League owners: We will survive! Owners deny Cabinet rescue report but bullish about chances
“Despite the departure [of chairman Sam Phillip and CEO Dexter Skeene], the Pro League Board remains committed to the survival of professional football.” The following is a release from the Pro League Media on the durability of the top-flight competition. Despite a Trinidad Guardian report yesterday about an impending TT$6 …
Read More »Dear Editor: Enough! Time for Arima to walk the talk and stop criminals in their tracks
“The anti-violence walk has now been transformed into the more positive ‘Arima Walk for Peace’ and the timeliness of the call to Arima people to join with us—this hits a raw nerve—will be seen tomorrow when we expect to actively involve many hundreds of ordinary, decent, hard-working people in a …
Read More »Francis Fashions: We had to fire them; employees “agreed” to work extra hour and then reneged
“By memorandum date January 2nd 2018, the workers were informed that they will be required to work for an extra hour from Monday to Thursday each week till further notice to clear up a backlog of containers which had been received by the company. “The workers signed acknowledging receipt of …
Read More »Dear Editor: Open Letter to Sean Hadeed; NWU accuses Francis Fashions of violating international labour laws
“Article 3.1 [of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention]: ‘For the purposes of this Convention the term forced or compulsory labour shall mean all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily’. …
Read More »Baldeosingh: T&T’s gender pay gap is situated on “a farrago of fake facts”
“The average male wage in 2008 (the last Labour Force Report) was TT$4,640 a month and the female was TT$3,758. Among male officials and managers, the mean salary was just over TT$8,000 a month, while women earned TT$5,000. Among male professionals, the mean monthly salary was over TT$11,500 whereas for …
Read More »Dear Editor: Requiem for my murdered sisters on International Women’s Day
“[…] I have no good wishes or aspirational sentiments. I’m not checking milestones women have achieved or the records we have smashed… I am preoccupied by our extinction at the hands of our men—our husbands, partners, baby fathers, lovers. “Who can celebrate on Women’s Day when there is so much …
Read More »Dear Editor: Spider-Man was simply the best to behold! Corneal, please keep your wet blanket
“Spidey, to whom you were paying homage, is merely laying claim to being the originator of the ‘pat down’ and other aspects of his goalkeeping style that made him a household name among football enthusiasts. “But, boy oh boy, here comes Mr Corneal with the proverbial memory of an elephant, …
Read More »Women PE teachers are the problem? Cameron and WICB should get with the programme
“The Physical Education curriculum, based at the Learning Resource Centre in McBean, Couva, has been headed by a woman and staffed heavily by women, generally trained teachers with years of experience teaching in schools. They are largely responsible for making Physical Education an examinable CXC subject and efforts to have …
Read More »Baldeosingh: Black Panther was fun but the Wakanda backstory misses the mark
“Unlike 99 percent of the people who costumed up to go to the film, I had actually read most of the comic-books the Black Panther originally appeared in. I don’t recall Wakanda being portrayed in the comics the way it was in the movies. “[…] And this was where my suspension …
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