Plipdeco grilled on security

Questions posed by PAEC members to Plipdeco officials came 24 hours after Santa Cruz businessman Ricky Ragoonanan told Newsday that he knew nothing about US$2 million which was found stashed among ply board in a container at the port last year.

Without referring to this specific matter during the PAEC public hearing at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre, Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste- Primus observed there have been media reports over time about, “various types of contraband material coming through the Port of Point Lisas.” She added, “Drugs, money...the range.” Looking at Plipdeco officials seated before the committee, Baptiste- Primus asked them, “What systems have you all put in place to detect the will of those who are determined to break the law in this country?” In response, Plipdeco president Ashley Taylor said, “Based on the feedback from Customs and Excise, we anticipate that the implementation of the much awaited container scanners would be finalised by the first quarter of this year.” Taylor said Plipdeco had the infrastructure for the scanners in place, “for the last year and a half.” However he added, “We await on the feedback from Customs to be able to start the process.” Taylor explained that while Plipdeco has a security team that works extensively with the Customs and Excise Division, “we on our own cannot make the decision to take a container and put it aside.” He reiterated, “ It really has to come out of the directive of Customs and Excise.” After saying Plipdeco and Customs work closely together to vet containers coming through the port, Taylor stated, “We have put some other measures in place to ensure that documentation cannot be hacked, cannot be forged.” He also said the port has a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system which is in the process of being upgraded.

PAEC chairman, Opposition Senator Wade Mark, expressed concern about bad debts being written off by Plipdeco. According to Mark, documents provided by Plipdeco to the committee indicated that bad debts rose from $22.1 million in 2014 to $28.7 million. He told Plipdeco officials that the country’s taxpayers have to bear the burden of any bad debts written off by any State company.

As he requested further clarification from Plipdeco on this issue, Mark warned, “Somebody getting bad habit here.” Mark, Baptiste-Primus and Independent Senator David Small questioned the existence of a casual retirement fund. Baptiste- Primus, a former Public Services Association (PSA) president, said this was the first time she heard about such a fund in her 40 years in the industrial relations arena. Small said it was not logical for any company to keep workers casual indefinitely.

Mark said he hoped this was not a case whereby a State controlled company was exploiting any category of workers in the country.