Panmen yesterday breathed a sigh of relief when they finally began receiving the $1,000 cheques owed them for performing almost one year ago in Panorama 2016.
However, relief quickly turned to disappointment and anger when they went to the banks to cash them and were told the cheques could not be honoured.
The panmen now believe they were given cheques just to pacify them and are planning a protest at the Grand Stand, Queen's Park Savannah, on Saturday.
Dane Gulston, a member of Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra and arranger for the single pan band City Sunvalley Pan Groove, of Nelson Street, said executive members of various steelbands were told to collect cheques for panmen at Pan Trinbago's Northern, South/Central, Eastern and Tobago regional offices.
Gulston said no information was given out that the cheques could not be cashed immediately and band members went to the banks expectantly only to be told the cheques could not be honoured as yet.
"A few people well went to the bank and a lot of them were calling me about it," he said.
There are some 7,000 panmen in T&T.
Gulston, avoiding the word "bounced cheque", described the situation as "total disrespect all the way around to band members."
Panmen have been protesting for weeks, threatening to boycott Panorama 2017. Gulston said the single pan category of Panorama is expected to start on January 11 but no one from his band has been showing up for rehearsals.
"This money was supposed to be paid right after Carnival. It has come a year later and we are being told the cheques cannot be honoured as yet. We were supposed to start rehearsing before Christmas but no one has been showing up. They are saying they are not coming out if they don't get their money," he said.
Gulston said while 60 per cent of panmen are employed, there are some who focus solely on playing pan.
Pan players have been calling for the removal of Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz because they believed outstanding monies were paid to the steelband body but not distributed to band members.
Culture Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said last month that $5 million was released to Pan Trinbago by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) in October.
Diaz reportedly confirmed Pan Trinbago did receive the $5 million but said it was a shortfall of $2.7 million.
Repeated efforts to contact Diaz and NCC chairman Kenny de Silva were unsuccessful.