Colm Imbert: Hauliers will not cripple TT

Earlier this week, the Hauliers Association (TTHA) said its members would not be removing import containers from the Port-of-Spain port unless the PATT pays them a delay surcharge for inordinate delays at the port.

A meeting between the PATT, TTHA and the TT Manufacturers Association yesterday ended in a stalemate and TTHA general secretary Curtis Seepersad said the hauliers would continue their action at the city port.

Addressing a news conference at the ministry’s Richmond Street headquarters last night, Imbert described the surcharge demanded by the hauliers as tantamount to a form of illegal tax or zakaat, and the State would not allow this situation to destabilise the country.

Declaring that the hauliers’ action had crippled imports of food into TT, stopped operations at the PoS port and could pose a national security risk, Imbert said he would consult with Attorney General John Jeremie to determine if legal action could be taken against the hauliers. He added that any action taken by the State against the hauliers would be "immediate." "The State is not going to stand idly by," he declared.

Noting that PATT was not obliged to pay the hauliers because the latter had no contracts with them, Imbert asked: "How can a group of private citizens impose a tax on a Government agency and they don’t provide any services to the Government agency?" Seepersad confirmed that the hauliers have no contract with the PATT to provide services at the PoS port. Imbert said he has asked the private sector business organisations who employ the hauliers to explore what legal action they could take against the hauliers in the matter.

Saying the hauliers were acting like a cartel, Imbert advised the business community to develop their own means of transporting their goods from the nation’s ports, and gave the assurance of Government’s assistance in the area. Imbert disclosed that Government is seriously considering a proposal from the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union to form a trucking company.

He also said consideration would be given to extending the length of time containers could remain on the port without incurring additional charges. Government could also help business people absorb the costs so they would not be transferred as higher priced goods to the consumers.