“[…] If in fact [Royal Castle] has proceeded with procuring alternative means to provide its food to the public while bypassing its workers and their union, these would constitute serious breaches of the collective agreement and violations of the law. “These could include illegally outsourcing or subcontracting labour, failing to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Why are groceries hiking their prices while people are losing their jobs?
I’m old enough to remember the global economic recession of the 1980s and Lord Relator’s hit calypso ‘Food Prices’—which highlighted the ridiculous prices. Trinbagonians, have you noticed that food and consumer prices have risen astronomically? The cost of living has spiralled dramatically since the onset of Covid-19 due mainly to the …
Read More »Demming: Why SMEs like Splice Studios are the real test of our ‘Roadmap to Recovery’
So the dream of Splice Studios is no more. If Abigail Hadeed—with her brand recognition, contacts, creativity, and privilege, could not navigate to save her business during this pandemic—then tell me who can. Just reading her post was painful: ‘Thank you all who have shared, supported or created at Splice …
Read More »‘I don’t sleep if I can’t pay our employees’ salaries’; Day in the life of an energy sector manager
“[…] I am responsible for the profit and loss of my unit, so I make sure that my unit has work. If my unit does not have work, I have no work and I have failed in my responsibility. “When month-end comes, I don’t sleep if we have expenses …
Read More »Best: Dr Rowley, UNC, Jackass and Demming; who against the Oxford comma?
‘My prime minister,’ writes Wired868 columnist Dennise Demming, ‘is talking to me about not jackassing the thing.’ I couldn’t disagree more. Now I am not suggesting that Dr Keith Rowley’s choice of language has always been appropriate. In the instant case, however, Demming is barking up the wrong tree. Dr …
Read More »MSJ: AG gave too much power to police commissioner; amend SoE regulations!
“[…] The police are to ensure that laws are adhered to. The police cannot make laws. If we go in that direction we are creating a police state. “This SoE was explicitly proclaimed by the president to deal with a health crisis… The restrictions—including the hours of curfew—should therefore be …
Read More »Demming: Language and respect are connected; don’t popularise profanity
It was January 2001 when then President ANR Robinson addressed the nation and quoted his mother as saying: ‘Bad habits are gathered at slow degrees, as streams running into rivers, and rivers into seas.’ This statement was subsequently modified by a friend who reminded me that: ‘it begins with raindrops’. That’s what crossed …
Read More »NLCB: No gaming until further notice, due to state of emergency
The following is a press statement by the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB): All Lottery Centres will be closed from 17 May 2021 until further notice, as per the updated legal notice issued on 16 May 2021. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, however this is a necessary measure in …
Read More »Jackassery aside; is T&T being served during the pandemic? Do we deserve to be?
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley called a state of emergency yesterday afternoon based on the health catastrophe that is the Covid-19 pandemic. The people who were not at his side to explain how we arrived at that momentous decision and what comes next were: the chief medical officer, the attorney …
Read More »MSJ condemns Israel’s ‘continued oppression of Palestinians’, urges Caricom and TT gov’t to take a side
“[…] Not content with this massive assault on Palestinians’ rights to self-determination, the state of Israel has been continuously expanding its land and reducing the areas in which Palestinians have been living. “[…] On top of this has been the systematic oppression of Palestinians whose economy and even water supply …
Read More »Devaluation in time of Covid; should TT stoke its own economic Soufrière-like eruption?
Here we go again! In the Business Guardian of Thursday 8 April 2021, Joel Julien reports on the virtual Demas/Rampersad Seminar Series under the aegis of The UWI St Augustine Department of Economics. ‘Foreign Exchange Challenges in Trinidad and Tobago: What are the real implications?’ the title asks. Let us …
Read More »Demming: Gov’t vaccination cards need tens of thousands of sheets of paper; why not digitise?
An official in another country laughed when I presented my driver’s permit because it was a simple laminated card which could be made at any print shop. That was about 15 years ago and things have only improved slightly. I thought of this when I received my vaccine card which …
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