The Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago is a superior court of record, which gives it a status equivalent to that of the High Court of Justice. It is also a specialized court with its own peculiar jurisdiction and is responsible for the dispensation of social justice. The principal role of …
Read More »Lazy and crooked or overworked and undervalued? The Public Service dilemma
Generally when one is asked to give their opinion on the Public Service and public officers in Trinidad and Tobago the following terms usually come up: lazy, corrupt, red tape, run-around and poor service. Yet is this image fair? My answer would be yes and no. This answer comes from …
Read More »The Politics of Labour: why Governments fear Trade Unions
I want to start by quoting some comments on the impact of wage increases on the economy. High wages wrenched by the trade union movement, led to capital intensive investment since investors preferred to use more machinery rather than pay the high cost of labour High wages were jacking up …
Read More »Shah: Don’t take Mittal’s mill even for free; how T&T fuelled Lakshmi Mittal
Trinidadians are hell, I tell you. Take their almost instantaneous sympathy with the 600-odd steel workers who found themselves jobless last week when ArcelorMittal shut down its plant in this country. Sure, that means at least 5,000 family members facing very uncertain times if not utter devastation. Those who have …
Read More »Plantocracy v People power: A political case for the union movement
Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) party organiser Akins Vidale makes a case for the Trade Union Movement (TUM) to be seen as a viable political third party: The pats on the back have been too many to count since the 2013 Local Government National Debate. However, on too many occasions, …
Read More »HR868: How to negotiate your next work contract
For this generation, it seems permanent employment is a thing of the past. More and more employers in both the private and public sector are hiring on contract for all level of employees including management and executives. Very often, contract employees do not receive Company health and pension benefits and …
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