Finally! The headlines had a chance to switch focus. There's a bigger picture when we go from mud-slinging politics to murder to conviction for offences against our children. It gave the feeling that we have betrayed our nation's children, the ones who openly and innocently look to us as adults for everything, including love and protection. The stories are deep. Unreported rape is a mere breath of the greater heart-pounding issues in society. Fortunately, the Government of the day has in fact recognised the societal decay which has covered sweet T&T over the years. The billions of dollars expended on social programmes could be used as an indicator that there is a lot of us in society who need help. Recent statements from the Ministry of Health revealed that approximately eight per cent of the population is depressed. This coupled with the annual number of visits to St Ann's and the thought that the person next to you is potentially mad, all point to the type of help that we need.
In the creation of a new cabinet, a Ministry of National Diversity and Social Integration was introduced. I was shocked that some of us did not see the nexus between this ministry and reality. The issues in society today, which we have grappled with for years, either have a racial undertone or are a result of social degradation.
On June 19, T&T observed Labour Day, an annual opportunity to re-visit the issues, victories and defeats faced by our leaders in defining a place and demanding respect in the public domain for the working class. The media were busy, a lot was going into the events and activities that would precede the day. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it. The MSJ's withdrawal still seems to be of no consequence to the Government-it's business as usual. Oftentimes overshadowed by other trade union figures, I am still uncertain if they have articulated their agenda. Does the MSJ have a pure working class agenda? Will the MSJ stand for all considerations of labour? I think not. On June 12, one week before the much feted Labour Day, we observed World Day Against Child Labour 2012: Human Rights and Social Justice. I waited patiently to see the activities in civil society as well as from the Movement for Social Justice. Nothing, absolutely nothing-only rants about corruption, nepotism and anguish over who gets the bigger half. Children are oftentimes the reason why we should seek meaningful work. However, I refuse to believe that child labour is distant from our villages and communities. Work performed by children and child labour are not necessarily the same thing. Child labour impairs children's well-being or hinders their education and development, other types of work are not, and can even be beneficial to children of a certain age. An FAO-ILO report correctly states that interventions aimed at stemming child labour must be able to make this distinction. Does the MSJ have the wherewithal to define and ultimately prevent child labour, or empower those caught in the circumstances with a voice? Their withdrawal may have removed this voice, but as I said, the Government has recognised and made efforts in this direction.
Former senator Verna St Rose-Greaves is set to be remembered in history when the Children Bill is proclaimed. The social landscape of this country will be changed forever, assuming that the Children's Authority is developed and proper enforcement is upheld. Lack of enforcement seems to be undermining great legislation lately. We have argued and filed lawsuits for corruption. The Calder Hart and other stories pumped new blood into the media industry, but what is the true cost of nation building? Several groups have started to make representations that the only way to continue seamlessly in government and keep the peace is to appease the demands of labour. Although misaligned, they pretend to be acting on behalf of the entire working class population of the country. Unjustified increases in salaries and wages cannot be the cost of nation building. I recall the TCL impasse with management refusing to negotiate with what they termed 'terrorists', the rents of labour must be earned. We must mature as a society and engage in proper social dialogue. In a time of economic uncertainty with inflationary pressures, we must begin to rationalise spending and mitigate shocks on the domestic economy. Internal shocks may be easier to control since much of the causes can be controlled by the State or the Central Bank. The last government demitted office with the majority of wage negotiations outstanding, which had its benefits at the time to the effect of lower incomes resulting in a relatively lower level of market demand. As the current Government moves to settle these negotiations, on one hand, demand-pull inflation may result as incomes and by extension GDP increases. On the other, cost-push inflation may result as firms absorb higher costs of production through increased compensation to employees, often leading to a loss of jobs.
Workers are needed for the output they are required to produce. In this context, labour is a derived demand, since consumers demand the goods and services that they produce. When firms see increasing demand for their products, they will need to employ extra workers and therefore the demand for labour increases. The opposite is also true. The Central Bank's Monetary Policy Report dated April 2012 noted that all industries across the board suffered a decline in labour productivity. Are we therefore paying more for less? Despite these infractions and misrepresentations, all is not lost for labour in T&T. The role of labour in national food security is significant. The Ministry of Food Production has partnered with the URP to offer a training programme to equip graduates with a skill-set needed to enter and sustain the sector. The demand for skilled and unskilled labour in the agricultural sector is strong. The opportunities and incentives provided must be seized. At the community level, efforts similar to those made by the Carapichaima Business Association must be promoted. Open days to create the agricultural environment for teaching and learning, small business opportunities as well as community engagement of men, women, boys and girls go a long way in addressing the issues that I mentioned, especially poverty alleviation.
Failure to reach to a point of mature social dialogue will see the continuation of aggravated robberies, kidnapping for ransom, and other evils which are committed by lost labour. Disenfranchised by the systems and those that make it difficult to earn an honest living, these perpetrators feed on quick money. Their frenzied feeding has changed the landscape for all of us, especially the most vulnerable in society. Crime has forced us to become insular as we spend more time indoors, locked away safely. Fresh air is coveted by some as the streets become almost abandoned after dusk. The last decade has seen a massive increase in the use of technology. The Internet, social media and electronic games have become the norm, over and above outdoor activities. Understandably, the population is becoming sicker. Diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac and kidney diseases, stroke and certain cancers are prevalent in this country. The labour issues are far reaching, from children to those politicising situations in order to bully the persons that control the public purse. With these few words we could begin to paint that bigger picture, understand some of the root causes of crime and realise how it affects us all, directly or indirectly. It is definitely a good time for us to come together and understand the good work of nation building. Agriculture and self-sufficiency has its freedoms, a form of recreation, social engagement, independence...But more importantly, labour filled with love.
Omardath Maharaj holds a BSc Economics and Finance and an MSc Agricultural Economics.