PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Last Tuesday, Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) announced a rise in price on a standard 42.5 kilogramme bag of cement by 9.5 per cent. The company had warned last July that it would have to review its prices after a 90-day strike by the OWTU meant to shift the company’s position from a wage offer of 6.5 per cent. TCL has been managing weighty losses over the last three years with a loss in 2010 of just over $80 million, a loss in 2011 of more than $130 million.
Trinidad and Tobago
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Government plans to lobby CARICOM for a decrease in the duties on cement, Trade Minister Vasant Bharath said yesterday. He spoke about the 9.5 per cent increase announced by Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference.
Bharath said Cabinet approved two options for dealing with the cement price hike. The first was to approach CARICOM and the second was to look at the ways in which Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) could be more efficient.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - However it goes on THA election day January 21, the people of Tobago have already scored a victory with the agreement by the contesting political parties to participate in tonight's debate.
To have secured the leaders of the three contending parties to agree to enter the sober, rational environment of the forum organised by the Debates Commission is no mean achievement. Commission chairman Andrew Sabga and his team deserve our deepest appreciation for their commitment on working this breakthrough initiative to this point of success.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - The year 2012 was a challenging year for equity investors in Caricom. Despite solid gains on manufacturing, conglomerate and banking stocks, returns were depressed by declines on tourism, real estate, insurance, investments and retail stocks.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Seven Government Ministers, including National Security Minister and UNC chairman Jack Warner, were in Tobago yesterday for a meeting with political leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), Ashworth Jack.
The meeting took place at the Coco Reef Resort in Crown Point under a high degree of secrecy, and included Ministers Warner, Suruj Rambachan, Dr Roodal Moonilal, Vasant Barath, Ganga Singh, Kevin Ramnarine and Dr Delmon Baker. Caribbean Airlines chairman, Rabindra Moonan, also attended.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaica's former contractor general Greg Christie has been brought on board by a coalition of private sector and civil society groups in Trinidad and Tobago to advise it on draft legislative proposals now before the twin-island republic's parliament.
Christie has been engaged by a private and civil society group headed by the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry in Trinidad and Tobago.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Devant Maharaj, Minister of Food Production, told the T&T Guardian that a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is being prepared to bolster relations between Guyana and T&T with respect to food security. He was speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the car park for the Norris Deonarine Wholesale Market, Macoya.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Professor Clement Sankat has been re-appointed as pro vice-chancellor and principal of the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) for a further four years, until his retirement on September 30, 2016. The announcement was made by Professor E Nigel Harris, vice-chancellor of The UWI who said the university’s Finance and General Purposes Committee (the Standing Committee of the University Council) has accepted his recommendation.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Michael de la Bastide is being nominated as a candidate to be T&T’s fifth President by the 851 members of a Facebook group. It was created by De La Bastide's brother, Peter.
The electoral college will vote on the presidency on February 15 and many believe the former chief justice and former president of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) should be added to the list.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - High on the list of coming attractions with potential to fulfill or disappoint hopes for a bright and prosperous new year is constitution reform. Late last year, Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar, who is also leader of the Congress of the People, described the process of "constitution reform (as) allowing citizens to participate in the way we govern ourselves".