Newsday remembers retrenched Arcelor Mittal workers

The hampers, each filled with goods costing roughly $1,000, were put together with funds from Newsday, M&M Insurance Services Ltd, the SWWTU, and Ashley Taylor, President of the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation, and helped along by a discount on goods from National Flour Mills Ltd.

“It was an exercise of the collective will of business and labour which is a good sign for Trinidad and Tobago,” said Annisette. “It speaks volumes to the people of Trinidad and Tobago that when we put aside our egos and our petty differences and put our collective wisdom together to work in the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago, it can benefit the people.” “I must express my thanks to Mr Steve Castagne from M&M insurance, who would have been part of the initiative, who developed the idea, who would have worked out the logistics in our discussions. I also want to take the opportunity to express our thanks to National Four Mills who would have given us a 20 percent discount on the prices of the goods that we would have purchased from National Flour Mill and a donation of $1,500.

Mr Ashley Taylor, the President of PLIPDECO also gave towards this venture. And Newsday too would have made a sterling contribution, and they readily agreed to be part of this whole exercise.” President of the Steel Workers Union of Trinidad and Tobago, Christopher Henry, expressed gratitude on behalf of his union members.

“I do appreciate the gesture and initiative that is taken by Comrade Annisette and his partners in facilitating the process of providing over 100 hampers here today which will go a long way in providing some relief for these workers, some who have not worked for a year, who have been removed from their homes, some of whom cannot even purchase groceries