“I love Zanda,” a musician friend remarked as we stood by listening to the pianist, as explosive as ever on his keyboard, despite his age.

“He doesn’t play the usual chords that you’d hear, you know…so it makes it difficult for other musicians playing with him.” Zanda is a musician who brings to the stage the energy and excitement of music. There’s a particular freedom one hears, even more so when one looks at his onstage persona.

It’s a sort of “don’t think about it just do it” sound that one hears.

“You mean he doesn’t play by the book then?” I asked.

“Oh no! Of course he plays by the book. It’s just a different book,” he replied.

I laughed.

The event at Big Black Box that Sunday evening was the first in the two-day Emancipation celebrations in honour of Lancelot Layne, widely known as the Godfather of Rapso Music. The features: Trinidad- based Scottish painter, Peter Doig’s painting that is also the cover artwork for the double CD of Layne’s music that was also released on that night.

The film documentary, Crossing Over (1988), a Banyan production, was divided into two parts, an illuminating account of Layne’s travel to Ghana where he investigates highlife music in Ghana through one of its acclaimed practitioners Koo Nimo. There are, not surprisingly, striking similarities to some of the Afro-Trinidadian rhythms and musical developments. The second part moves to Trinidad where Nimo arrives as Layne’s guest. His visits with steelpan men, tassa drummers and calypsonians provide him and viewers who travel the landscape with him, an insight into the range of music that is a part of Trinidad’s cultural heritage. There is a musical exchange between the Ghanaian musician and some of the Trinidadian practitioners, making for a lively discourse on the ability to seamlessly interact through sound.

Perhaps our major difference is language, yet the music masks it and all we hear is a heritage. Some familiar faces appear: Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe, Lord Kitchener, Pretender and Ras Shorty I among others.

The crowd at Black Box was moved to sing along with Kitchener in his rendition Africa My Home and Shorty’s Om Shanti Om. The mood was light, nostalgic, an occasion like Emancipation naturally marked by a sense of light-heartedness yet a sense of loss. As a close friend remarked, “the film cast light on the last burst of the last golden age that has long been forgotten…” For some of the young ones, two of whom were part of my party, it was an education.

For those who had lived through parts of the era, in a sense this event marked the spirit of the emancipated – where groups of people can meet in brotherhood, sharing a similar experience through film, taking that journey with Layne, hearing Kitch sing once more and looking at Pretender extemporise.

It conjured memories of a time when these two art forms were at their height. Zanda’s music follows after, an art easily taken for granted for those with the freedom to practise it. This too is the part of the celebration of emancipation.

It is the freedom to use whatever instrument of choice we feel best suited for our self-expression, like highlife or calypso do in their appropriation of Western instruments to express the experiences and sounds of the Ghanaian or Afro- Trinidadian people.

The 3 Canal initiative was a commendable one made in the spirit of rapso for we cannot but be tied to the spirit of the music that we practise. And rapso demands a conscious connection to the people and self. Crossing Over is a tribute to Layne’s roots. And even though he smells death in the holding chamber of Cape Coast Castle, where slaves were once packed, before being shipped out to regions controlled by the British, the smell of death, while it may have stayed with him, does not linger in his body. Part Two can thus comfortably open out onto the airy highway and freedom of the Trinidad landscape.

The musical colours follow and therein we sense the healing.

The hurts of the slave trade that many carried through emancipation, and into independence, cannot continue to be a part of the dominant legacy of our island.

Its violence, upon which much of Caribbean history has been built, needs to be purged out or at least healed to some degree. To continue to reinforce the dark side of the legacy, as some have done, is to keep people grounded in that memory, to keep anger and fear constant.

Lancelot Layne changes the direction and takes us further out.

Speaking at the event, Dwayne John Bravo, West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago cricket all-rounder said: “A lot of people know the name Dwayne Bravo in cricket. But djbravo is now a brand and not just a name. And it’s a brand that I want to try and push throughout the entire world, throughout the region, and here in TT.” Bravo told the gathering that for him, giving back is part of his life. With his parents and siblings present, he said: “I came from a very humble beginning.

And coming from Santa Cruz, a small village, we know what it’s been, what it’s like not having something that you really want, where your parents have to go and beg and ask for assistance.

So we know how important it is to come from nothing, and it is important for us now who’ve achieved something in life to give back.” He added that charity is a big part of him, and though his charity event is only three years old, he has been doing a lot of charity for the children of his home village in Santa Cruz for the past eight years.

He said his brother Darren and good friend Kieron Pollard also have charities of their own. “We all do a lot of giving back and I think because of where we came from, we know how important it is for others.” Bravo lauded his team of djbravo47 shareholders, David Blanc, Adrian Chandler and Pollard, stating he was happy to surround himself with those good, honest, and positive people who are successful in their own fields, and who pushed him to continue doing the event when he had second thoughts about doing it. “This is my team. For all of us giving back is the most important thing. I can’t wait for the event. I am very excited. The brand djbravo47 is for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.” He invited those present to attend the event and mix and mingle with a number of great athletes and entertainers from throughout the region.

Since partnerning with TSTT, Bravo has been a part of the drive that provided 200 children from homes throughout the country with books. He also collaborated with the bmobile foundation providing bursaries for students attending school at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, and last year he again collaborated with TSTT in the Island’s Book Bunny Drive, providing stationary and books for the children from the Bridge of Hope.

Bravo has also provided funding for the blind and visually impaired cricket team, which walked away with the regional T20 and 40 championship trophies.

And, with the thrust toward diversification, it also has placed renewed focus on the jobs that would enable this country to emerge from the current economic crunch and along a path to sustained growth.

Specifically, the advertisement sought foreign nationals who could speak English and work legally in Trinidad to fill positions such as passenger service agents, airport baggage and ramp handling agents, cargo agents and handlers, aviation security agents, wheelchair assistance, gas and diesel mechanics, supervisors and managers.

Duke, who also accused the company of violating the country’s labour laws, argued that these positions could easily have been filled by locals.

“Why are they allowed to box food out of one’s mouth and say it is for foreign nationals only?” he asked. “Why is it that this company is recruiting foreign nationals when there are people here who can do the same work?” Swissport Trinidad and Tobago has issued a statement, saying the company has been compliant with the country’s labour laws and regulations.

However, the company did not address specific concerns about its desire for foreign nationals to fill positions at the two airports.

The company said it was “a responsible employer” which prided itself on “its longstanding reputation as a competent and efficient provider in the service of the aeronautical industry of Trinidad and Tobago.” But president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUN) Joseph Remy said he supported Duke’s concerns.

He described the ad as “insensitive,” saying it was published at a time when the PSA started to raise “particular issues” relating to the terms and conditions under which locals are working and the threat of job security.

“And in the face of that, you see this ad inviting foreign persons to apply for jobs in Trinidad and Tobago when there are competent local persons available to do the same jobs.” Remy said the labour movement was not against foreigners working in TT “but there has to be a policy position relative to how that is done and that policy cannot be one that will infringe on one’s constitutional rights for access to what the local economy provides.” “And, as such, we believe it was insensitive of that company to place that ad at a time when the PSA was raising some industrial relations issues because it says to us directly that the ad is in response to the concerns raised by the PSA and it is their response to the threat to withhold their labour for improved terms and conditions of employment,” he added.

Saying FITUN totally condemned the ad, Remy said the Ministries of Labour and National Security must carefully scrutinise the process for work permits in cases where foreigners have applied.

“They must note the impact it is going to have on the local labour market and the impact on the wider economy.” Remy said the jobs for which Swissport International was seeking foreigners could be accessed locally.

“There is a supply of labour for those jobs and as such, we should tap into that supply source instead of going foreign. And we believe that this is a real indictment against a sovereign nation,” he said.

“It says to us that they have no care for government policy and they feel they could come here and do what they want. And they believe that because the country is in an economically challenging time and we are looking for direct foreign investment, that they could do what they want and get away with it.” Urging the Government to stand firm on the issue, Remy said the fact that the company has placed an ad for jobs on the local market suggests, too, that educational institutions are not churning out what the local demand requires.

“That means we have a supply side situation and that is something that has to be corrected. We can’t be giving so many people tertiary education and we still have a shortage of skills sets throughout the country. Something is wrong.” According to Remy, TT ’s labour market is in a very precarious state “because no one can put their finger on the real status of where we are in terms of what are our absolute needs and what is our supply situation.” He added: “So, we don’t know what are the key skills sets and jobs that are required to carry the economy forward and we don’t know what is the supply side of it, whether we are churning out from our secondary schools, trade schools and tertiary institutions, the requisite skills sets to match the demand of the labour market.” Remy claimed such information has not been readily available from the Ministries of Labour and Planning and Development.

Claiming that unemployment rates were increasing rapidly, the veteran trade union leader wondered what would become of graduates of secondary and tertiary institutions given the ongoing retrenchment in several sectors.

“But then you are seeing vacancies being advertised for foreigners to come in the country. That to us says that something is fundamentally wrong.

Our planning is really atrocious.” President of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union Vincent Cabrera claimed on Thursday that an estimated 4,000 workers have been put on the breadline since September 2016, far surpassing the period 1985 to 1993 in which close to 7,000 people were retrenched.

He feared that the rising unemployment could lead to increased criminal activity.

Remy said there was no apparent nexus between the Ministries of Labour and Planning and Development in terms of conducting a manpower analysis.

“We are in an absolute mess and nobody is taking a handle of the situation.” Remy said the National Tripartite Advisory Council, from which union leaders have temporarily suspended their involvement over the Tourism Development Company issue, would have been the think-tank to address critical labour and economic issues.

“We would have been able to provide the government with certain outputs that would have allowed them to do certain things differently. But the politicians continue to do things wrong and expect to get different results.” Technology jobs of the future But Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, responding to Remy’s claims, yesterday said her ministry was already carrying out an analysis of the jobs that are required to take TT out of its economic slump.

She said the research, thus far, has shown that information communication technology, artificial intelligence and other technology-related fields will be the areas of opportunity of the future.

Robinson-Regis said jobs in the areas of human organ engineering, climate change and memory augmentation (the process by which one’s ability to retain information is increased) also will be in demand by the year 2030. “This is in the context of not only what is happening currently nationally, regionally and internationally, but what future trends indicate,” she told Sunday Newsday.

Robinson-Regis said an analysis was being carried out against the backdrop of the Government’s National Development Strategy Plan (2016- 2030) with research undertaken by the Central Statistical Office as well as through a technical cooperation agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank to conduct a Manpower Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago, part of which has already been initiated through the Global Services Promotion Programme of her ministry. Robinson- Regis said the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise was a key partner in this exercise.

She said Government was also involved in the development of a manpower strategy at two levels – sector- specific and aggregate.

The minister said the strategy entailed relevant research and was intended to identify human capital requirements, implement actions to develop required skills and, ultimately, support the achievement of the country’s economic goals through a clear direction for the human resources of TT moving into the future.

Robinson-Regis said another IDB project, specifically targeting the youth, also was among the ministry’s plans to support the labour sector.

“The IDB has approved a regional technical cooperation (plan) called ‘Support for Productivity and Youth Employment Initiatives in the Caribbean’ with the aim of addressing low productivity and youth unemployment,” she said.

“It is also intended to improve skills building, the labour market and will identify potential public private partnerships for youth employment.” Robinson-Regis said TT , Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas have been invited to participate in the IDB-executed initiative.

She said the IDB and Ministries of Labour and Planning will be partners in this collaboration once full approval has been obtained.

Permell in a statement yesterday as head of the group said he has followed with “great consternation and dismay” the repeated attempts by Imbert to “discredit the legitimate cause of the over 15,000 Clico EFPA policyholders (including myself) who accepted the Government’s offer in 2012 in a Hobson’s choice take-it-or-leave-it scenario.” “Notwithstanding, the fact that all, we as policyholders are simply seeking to do is to get what is contractually due to us from Clico, not the Treasury.” He said this strategy has manifested itself in statements made by Imbert at the weekly post-Cabinet media conference on Thursday and then repeated in a Ministry of Finance media release on Friday. In the release, the ministry reported its records indicate that on May 22, 2012, Permell accepted the former People’s Partnership government’s offer for purchase of his Clico policies by virtue of deeds of assignment and declarations of trust in respect of two executive flexible premium annuities.

The ministry said Permell received the sum of $75,000 in cash for each policy with the rest being paid in bonds and in full and final settlement in May 2012, Permell relinquished all claims to these policies. The ministry also said Permell signed a clear and unequivocal waiver of all future claims against Clico with respect to these policies and it had been advised that Permell no longer had any contractual relationship with Clico.

Permell in response had said he was neither a Clico nor a CLF shareholder but maintained that he was a Clico policyholder.

In Permell’s release yesterday he speculated on why he being “targeted.” “It would appear that the sole purpose of this strategy is to target me, personally, as a citizen of this country with the goal of intimidating and muzzling me for speaking out and raising legitimate concerns about the controversial steal of a deal transfer of No Man’s Land from Clico to the Government at $10 a square foot, among other things. An issue, I might add that is one of national importance, affects all Clico policyholders and will not go away anytime soon.

The irony, however, is that by targeting me the ‘honourable’ minister has now unwittingly provided our group with a opportunity and a broader national platform from which to highlight the very issue that he is raising as to whether this group of policyholders are still contractually due any money from Clico once the Government is repaid.

“However, the bigger question for the national community and Prime Minister Dr Keith Christopher Rowley is: Has Minister Imbert crossed the line? Since as an elected official of the Government, he has now placed in the public domain by way of media release the private and confidential details of an ordinary citizen like myself by identifying not only the number of policies that I have with Clico but the payment made to me in respect of the Government’s offer, thereby not only placing me at risk but also the members of my family.” Permell said Imbert has also not done the Rowley administration any favours “since his actions would invariably have the knock on effect of undermining (some may say further undermining) confidence and trust by the public in a key institution of State such as the Ministry of Finance.” “Has this Minister now crossed the line?… In other words, if this minister is allowed to do this to me what about you my fellow citizens, can your private and confidential information also end up on the streets?…”

According to the ministry, the national policy will also provide a holistic framework for achieving equal opportunity for all citizens with disabilities. The ministry said it is in keeping with its mandate and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was ratified in 2015 as well as the 2030 development agenda.

Qushiba La Fleur, president of WeCare Deaf Support Network and acting executive officer for TT Association for the Hearing Impaired, told Sunday Newsday that she attended two consultations for the new draft policy.

She said at the consultations participants called for education and employment of persons with disabilities to be areas of focus. She also recalled one participant complaining that while ministry officials would say what they want to do “implementation takes a long time” or never happens at all.

La Fleur said they want companies to have their buildings suit the needs of persons with disabilities as employees but some were saying it is too expensive to make their buildings disabled friendly and prefer not to hire or engage with them. She said this was especially the case for deaf people as companies believe it will take time and cost them money.

“In our country we not seeing the importance of ensuring things are implemented. The fact is we should not be asking for it to happen but it should be mandatory.” In terms of education, La Fleur said there should be specialised curriculum for children with disabilities and trained teachers. She said that it should not just be an overall course for special education because a teacher of the deaf, for example, would not be able to teach a child with Down syndrome or autism.

She said for deaf children they are not as successful academically as they could be because the resources are too limited to ensure they more have access to schools and there is no curriculum designed for the deaf and hard of hearing.

La Fleur pointed out that despite Trinidad and Tobago signing on to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities the challenge was implementation and following through.

On the draft national policy she said her concern was that it was not specific. She gave the example of education and training and said that you cannot just say you will provide these things without specifying the appropriate support services and teaching aides.

“With disability you need to be specific.” She said the policy did not mention specialised curriculum geared towards children with disabilities.

She said the association can provide sign language interpreters for students but deaf students need additional technology as well as special education teachers.

She pointed out that the policy mentioned providing sign language training for parents and communities which was “fine” but this would not help deaf children when it comes to education.

La Fleur said most of the policy had been discussed before but reiterated that it does not address specifics.

“You have to break it up and be specific. Children with cerebral palsy, various disabilities, Down syndrome, how do you facilitate their needs? What are the necessary things they would need?” She said there is much information online regarding the UN convention so locally there is no need to reinvent wheel as some of their codes which are suitable for this country can be used.

Blind Welfare Association executive officer Kenneth Suratt told Sunday Newsday that he read the draft policy and made comments.

He recalled a disability policy being discussed 25 years ago but there are still no laws for the disabled. He said the United States has celebrated more than 25 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Suratt said TT should have had a national policy but is way behind time and needs to move quickly towards legislation.

“If you do not have laws a person who is blind cannot challenge the system. A policy is just expressing an intention. We need laws to protect the disabled and we going on almost two years to sign off on the charter.” He said the process has been too long at the draft stage, consultation and moving from green paper to white paper.

“I am tired of it.” Suratt said there is a draft building code to accommodate the disabled and a policy for housing but they are not law so people are not compelled to implement them and there is no way to challenge the situation. He said the Equal Opportunities Commission was the only body that had laws which speaks for the disabled.

He said the Ministry of Education has a policy for the disabled but again it is not law. Suratt said blind children were being refused entry to schools because they had no aide, there was no braille or large print.

“We must move swiftly into law.

If you don’t do (something) the disabled person take you to court and straight to Privy Council.” He said he was happy that child marriage laws were amended but questioned when there was going to be laws to deal with the disabled.

“I tired of policy. Too much of talk. I ask them when we going to see draft legislation. And that is what the conversation should be.

Not policy.” Suratt said the association would like to know when Government will draft laws before their five years are up.

It is either of two things: someone is not communicating effectively that these are among the harshest economic times we have ever faced as a country, or someone just does not care. It is impossible to believe the latter. Since it was labour on show, trade union leaders with their threat of worse to come, must know that some of their bluster is counter-productive. But it behoves all to be aware of some key economy variables which should form the backdrop to all action.

In recent years, we have suffered a decline in energy earnings due to lower prices and falling output.

This has been directly responsible for lower government revenues.

Income fell by 35 per cent to $37 billion between 2014 and 2016.

Total revenue was lower by 24 per cent in the first half of the 2016/17 financial year despite energy receipts being higher in the previous fiscal year. We have also seen our net international reserves drop from $10.4 billion as of May 2014 to $8.95 billion at the end of May, resulting in export coverage moving down from 12 months to 10.

To address the deficit, the initiatives taken by the government included drawing down US$251 million (TT$1.7 billion) on the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) on March 16, as well as borrowing domestically to help finance its operations during the first six months. These steps were taken because the government did not, by its own admission, want to stall the economy and cause suffering.

The government had hoped that it would not have to introduce austerity measures. Clearly market conditions in the hydrocarbon market suggests that more aggressive fiscal consolidation measures are required.

Government also borrowed $3.5 billion on the domestic capital market through the issuance of three bonds. The Mid-Year Budget Review pointed out that the new set of borrowing has increased the ratio of public sector debt to GDP from 60.1 per cent at the end of 2015/16 to 61.1 per cent of GDP at the end of March. Generally, the IMF has considered a ratio of 60 per cent as a threshold above which the result is negative growth.

Currently, we are seeing companies such as the Agricultural Development Bank, undergoing wage negotiations with resulting staff protests fully supported by the union. One has to wonder as to the financial state of the company, especially since they are allocated subventions that we are not even sure they receive. Can the company afford salary increases to the tune of 14 per cent at this time? All stakeholders need to exercise care about the positions they advance, especially as the IMF has called for policy changes such as fiscal adjustment, structural reforms to enhance our foreign exchange earnings capacity, procurement reforms, easing the costs of doing business even further, modernising financial supervision and reforms to increase the scope of growth and diversification.

While the unions must calm the waters, and negotiate hard, the government must more effectively communicate and present the true state of affairs, engage the population, lead by example, present a vision, an economic plan on which we all can agree, and get buy-in from key stakeholders. Clearly what is being demanded does not appear to reflect any appreciation of the current economic conditions.

The private sector, especially those operations that are still reaping huge profits, must desist sending people home, and instead must appear to be understanding of the difficulties faced and offer solutions that appear conscious of the suffering of the less deprived. Our key stakeholders must be more mature in the face of extreme challenges: nothing less is acceptable. It can’t be that we just don’t care.

Kailah, a national volunteer coordinator, was speaking at the event that was attended by Member of Parliament for Arima Anthony Garcia and Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian.

Starting with a multi-faith prayer, yesterday’s event, dubbed as a “Day of Care,” was held at the Arima Borough Corporation Carpark on Hollis Avenue, Arima, and saw the distribution of clothing items as well as lunches to the lesser fortunate burgesses of the borough.

In addition to the acts of goodwill, patrons were treated to free medical checks, haircuts, pedicures and manicures.

Reflecting on the volunteer initiative, Mayor Morris-Julian urged people to view the “Day of Care” and volunteerism as a daily necessity as opposed to a one-off event.

Noting that the borough’s festivities are heavily known for parties, Morris-Julian decided that it was time for a give-back initiative to hopefully inspire burgesses to look out for one another, especially the vulnerable. The event, which was a collaborative effort between Morris-Julian’s office, the Arima Borough Council and Garcia, featured a wide range of NGOs and non-profit organisations which Morris-Julian said had committed to serving Arima’s burgesses through long-term volunteerism.

To ensure longevity, the Arima Volunteer Network will undertake various training programmes, one of which will be a disaster management training and homework programme for students who may not have the opportunity to attend lessons. While addressing members of his constituency, MP Garcia expressed his desire to see Arimians acting in a manner that would make life easier for those experiencing hardships. Garcia also took the opportunity to remind those present that the Government could not do it all alone and encouraged people to come on board in helping, through outlets such as volunteerism.

Councilor Brennan Patterson, a key member of the event’s planning committee, said the “Day of Care” would become a continuous fixture in Arima’s annual Borough Day Celebrations and be extended outside the period.

Echoing similar sentiments, Morris-Julien said she was willing to give any support moving forward to ensure that the Borough’s volunteer projects continued to be supported through private and public support.

Last evening, Roger Bell, one of the directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Powerboat Association confirmed that Carib will no longer be the title sponsor of the Annual Great Race, which will take place on August 19.

Bell said, “They opted out of the Great Race. We have a brand that is now 49 years old and we are continuing with it as the Trinidad and Tobago Great Race.” It is unclear why Carib decided to stop sponsoring the Great Race.

Bell said he understands that is the nature of business. “These things happen in life and business.

We are moving on and we are going to put on a really good show this year. The Great Race has been growing year after year and we have quite an international following that we are extremely happy about.

“What is especially exciting is that next year 2018, our 50th year, we have some people coming in from overseas who will be racing in it because it will be our big, big year.” Bell, who said he is confident the Great Race will continue every year, is thankful for Carib’s support over the years. “We are very grateful for them for the 16 years that they have been with us. They helped us build the event and we are very appreciative of that. There is absolutely no regrets where that is concerned.” Bell also confirmed that the event will now end in Store Bay as oppose to Scarborough.

However, TriniTrolley.com is offering that and more with their new Rentals Department.

Launched in April, the website allows those who qualify to rent, or rent-to-own items including party accessories like bouncy castles, above ground pools and bubble machines; clothes including wedding dresses, designer handbags and shoes; tools; books; video games; movies; sports equipment and jewellery. And by mid-August, vehicles would also be available.

CEO of TriniTrolley, Mazuree Ali said all the items available on the website were stocked and delivered within 48 hours. However, if there was something not on the list of items, the customer could request it and, if feasible, TriniTrolley would purchase the item.

“Now you could rent, or rent-to-own things that you could not have before. The difference between this and hire purchase is that the customer does everything online and the customer chooses the time frame to pay off for the items.

So you set the terms, in terms of what you could afford and when you want to pay off for it. There’s no fixed, long-term contract or anything like that,” said Mazuree Ali, CEO of TriniTrolley.

He explained that the customer could chose between three to 36 months and, using the cite’s online calculator, work out the monthly instalment they could afford, depending on the time period, before agreeing to it. Even after the application was approved and some payments were made, the customer could adjust the remaining instalments.

Ali said applications, submission of documents, and approvals were granted online, and since the department was launched in April, thousands of people have applied.

Requirements for application include a job letter, pay slip, utility bill, and two forms of identification.

“It’s seamless. You don’t have to walk into any store or take time off. There’s no back and forth. You submit your documents, you see what you’re paying up front, there’s no long-term contract, and we deliver everything to you afterwards.” He said some of their customers might not have been able to get loans but with TriniTrolley’s Rental Department, no collateral was necessary.

However, the company partnered with credit agencies to do background checks.

“There are criteria in place so not everyone is approved. But this is to make sure that, not only the company but the customer is protected so that they do not make purchases they really can’t afford.” Ali said TriniTrolley started working on the project last year because they realised people would be going through some hard economic times and the company, along with its partner, MasterCard, wanted to help.

One of TriniTrolley and MasterCard promotions involved the grocery service.

Anyone who pays their TriniTrolley grocery bill with their MasterCard credit card or MasterCard prepaid debit card would get 12.5 per cent off their total bill, as well as free delivery. “That was an idea that MasterCard came up with and the promotion will run until the end of the year.

Again, the whole idea is about trying to assist people in these difficult times.” Ali added that some rental items require a down payment but if the form of payment agreed to was MasterCard, the deposit would be waived so that customers only pay the instalments.

Another division of which Ali was very proud, was TriniTrolley Shops For Me.

If a customer wanted to shop on an international shopping website, such as Amazon or eBay, but did not have a credit card or skybox, or did not want to risk credit card fraud, TriniTrolley would buy the product and the customer would pay for it upon delivery.

“Instead of going through your courier company and paying a bunch of different fees, we let you know the total cost up front.

The consumer sends us links for the items they want from these international websites and we quote them a final price for the items so they know all the included final costs upfront so they are able to make an informed decision.” Ali said shopping through TriniTrolley would translate to “huge savings” as the cost to ship with them was lower than any courier company in the country. To sweeten the pot, when a customer pays with their MasterCard, they get a seven per cent discount.

The incident was captured in a video that was posted on social media and reportedly occurred on Friday morning.

In the video, the woman, who was not identified, was approached by three security officers, two male and one female.

The female officer was seen attempting to touch the woman but she ducked under a retractable barrier and said, “You done lost your head.” When a male officer attempted to touch her she shouted, “Don’t touch me boy. You mad or what? Don’t let me cuff yuh in yuh face yuh know. Don’t touch me yuh know. Don’t touch me.” The female officer then tried to hold her from behind but she pulled away.

“Leggo meh ah say. Aye, aye, leggo me boy.” A struggle then ensued between the three officers and the woman. One of the male officers told her “stop resisting” and she continued to shout for them to let her go. “I want yuh damage meh.

I want yuh damage meh. Drag meh. Drag meh,” the woman said.

The video then ended and it was not clear whether the woman was arrested.

Sunday Newsday contacted a supervisor at airport security who was unable to provide further information. She referred this newspaper to the HR department which she said would not be in until tomorrow.

Another official said the video was being looked into.