T&T’S JOBLESS RATE SHAM

EMPLOYERS in Trinidad and Tobago are not required to report the termination of fewer than five workers at a time.

That is spelled out in Section Four of the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act.

The law states that where five or more workers are proposed for termination, the employer “must give formal notice in writing to each involved worker, to the recognised majority union, and to the Minister of Labour.”

Since many terminations are in groups of fewer than five workers, there are no relevant official notices to the Ministry of Labour.

In turn, the Ministry cannot indicate such job losses to the Central Statistical Office (CSO), which creates a jobless number for public consumption.

In addition, some defaulting employers fail to comply with the Act, even though there is a penalty for contravention of the law.

So, when Finance Minister Colm Imbert recently boasted of a 3.7 per cent unemployment rate, he was not providing a complete picture.

Imbert bragging about low joblessness is an indication of how out of touch the authorities are with the harsh realities on the ground.

He said in his latest Budget presentation: “This rate is one of the lowest ever achieved in Trinidad and Tobago and augers very well for the future.”

He claimed that labour force participation had expanded.

But the raw evidence shows otherwise.

Hundreds flocked for Guyanese jobs during a trade fair at a shopping mall.

Many are begging in public places, placard in one hand and a child in the other.

There are scores of applications for the few available jobs.

Some professionals are doing informal duties to make end meets, such as a former Petrotrin engineer operating a vegetable and fruit stall.

Charity groups tell of increased appeals for assistance.

Imbert admitted to the large number of “vulnerable and less fortunate citizens.”   

Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are being called upon to assist more citizens.

International agencies report on the growing number of people living under the so-called poverty line and of malnutrition.

Evidence of hardship is everywhere – small businesses closing down, homeowners defaulting on mortgages, downturn in retail operations, etc.

So, when Imbert and other Government officials crow about historically low joblessness, they are ignoring the suffering of thousands of nationals.

Meanwhile, the National Statistical Institute, which was proposed eight years ago to replace the CSO, is still an assignment in the making.

No one in authority seems keen on confronting the bitter truth of unemployment in Trinidad and Tobago.