Please free employees from slavery

THE EDITOR: Permit me a space in your daily newspaper to share my views on an article dated Friday May 16, page 36... headed “Slave drivers in Chaguanas.”  First of all, I would like to thank you and your staff for all the good work you are doing, keep it up. Second of all, I would like to thank Mr Abdool Mohammed for highlighting the plight of workers of this country. I hope more people would take a stand for other citizens of our country. I would like to address this letter to other citizens especially the government of our nation who sits in parliament and discusses ways in which to stop crime in our country.

Who are criminals? People who rob one another, kidnap business people and their children, bank robbers and whatever else the police call a crime. Now I want to tell you of another crime that is taking place in our country and no one is doing anything about it. The government is closing its eyes to business people who rob their workers every day. I want to ask the Prime Minister this question. To whom does the minimal wage apply? Is it only to government workers, bank employees and whatever established business place there is? What about the groceries, stores, hardware and other places that conduct business and have people employed by them to service their customers?

Is it not the right of these workers, who work from 8 — 6 and sometimes have to stay back late because of a holiday or the boss just feels like opening late, to be paid an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work? So why is it that these employers are paying their workers less than $5 an hour with NIS being taken out of their pay and not even sure if it is being paid for them, and also no overtime, no sick leave, no vacation, and even if they get vacation, it is without pay. Their bosses threaten them with loss of job, loss of wages. So tell me, is that not a crime that is being committed by business people? I am sure if employers treat their workers the proper way, people will not turn to crime. With prices for food going up all the time in the groceries, even when it’s not supposed to, people are being paid less than nothing. How does the government expect to solve crime?

Take a hint Mr Prime Minister, start to stop crime from being committed by first looking in the right direction. Put a stop to employers, as Mr Abdool said, exploiting their workers. People would not be so frustrated but want to work. Crime will eventually lessen if you go out there and talk to people. You would hear just what they have to put up with. Please help them so they can help themselves. And I am putting it to other citizens who are being exploited to write to this newspaper so that other people will know of your plight and our government will take action against these law breakers. We need this type of 21st century slavery abolished.

SHAFFINA  ALI
San Fernando