Labour movement wants even distribution of wealth in Trinidad and Tobago
by Marcia Braveboy
Monday, August 30, 2004
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: As the Government
and people of Trinidad and Tobago gear up to celebrate 42 years as an
independent nation, the Secretary General of the National Trade Union Centre,
Vincent Crabreara, has called on the Government to distribute the nation’s
wealth more meaningfully. The labour movement
has made a plea for the people of Trinidad and Tobago to stop seeing
independence as a mere parade of flags and colours, but rather see it is a
time for the nation to focus on growing in meaningful areas such as Education,
Agriculture and being able to provide food security for all.
This was the main focus of the General Secretary’s independence speech, saying
that too many people have to maintain an existence below the poverty line.
“The state possesses the economic requirement to provide people with proper
health and education system; a country blessed with economic resources like
Trinidad and Tobago has no excuse for leaving the just aspirations as the
citizenry towards education and health care unattended. Appropriate social
programmes should be put in place rather than sham programmes which violate
all known international labour principles and standards,” said Crabreara.
He also noted that the scandalous and
spiraling increases in the cost of basic food items are a challenge to many
families who cannot sit down to an acceptable meal even as the country
celebrates 42 years of independence. The General Secretary exclaimed that
successive Governments have failed to put agriculture on the front burner and
stated that “If we seek to be truly independent, our Government must adapt the
principle of food security.
In recent times, confusion and chaos has
been triggered among the people here because of the significant increases in
basic food items such as rice, flour, and chicken.
The situation worsened when a Government
minister came out publicly and told the people to eat cassava and other
provisions since it may be cheaper. The minister’s comments were echoed on
radio stations and in newspapers throughout Trinidad and Tobago; where most
people expressed outrage, saying that the minister was insensitive to the
needs of the poor man who works for a minimum wage of TT$8.00 or less
(US$1.50) per day; they thought the minister was “forward” to make such a
suggestion since rice and flour can at least stretch to feed heavy households
over cassava and other ground provisions which grow only seasonally.
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