The data in this survey was disclosed by CAL Human Resources Vice President Hyacinth Guy in response to questions from members of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on State Enterprises yesterday at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre. JSC chairman, Independent Senator David Small, wondered whether salaries and compensation attributed to such a high level of dissatisfaction expressed by the majority of the airline’s workers.

Without quoting figures, Small observed, “The average salary for the pilots is well within the range of even some of the larger airlines.” According to Small, “The disparity is the front line staff.” Focusing particularly on flight attendants, Small said the information suggested that CAL flight attendants are “paid a fraction” of what their counterparts in other airlines are paid. Guy admitted that, “Salary levels in CAL are not at the market level.” As she explained that the airline is, “challenged as an organisation,” Guy indicated, “The ranges have been in place since 2010.” She said the airline’s pilots re-negotiated their contracts in 2014 and have a collective agreement which runs up 2018.

Guy reiterated that while CAL is challenges with respect to other categories of its workers, it has implemented a “robust performance and evaluation system.” She said this has allowed, “employees since 2015 to get a merit increase based on performance.” Guy explained that while the official retirement age at CAL is 60 years, pilots can work up to 65.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark suggested part of the reason why so many CAL workers are unhappy is because most of them are not unionised.

Mark added CAL’s pilots have a labour representative.

JTUM and the Steel Workers Union of Trinidad and Tobago (SWUTT) yesterday delivered a letter to the PM at his office in St Clair, calling on him to make an urgent intervention.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Ancel Roget, President of JTUM said, “We call on the Prime Minister, through written correspondence, to communicate, to instruct, to direct, to convince his ministers that they ought to meet very quickly so we can have this plant restarted and the workers and the country can benefit.” He said their mission was not for money but to get the relevant government ministers to meet with the investors.

“The SWUTT would have done their work and secured investors.

All we are asking for is for the relevant government ministers to meet with those investors and to do due diligence as a government and to set the framework for the type of discussions that would have allowed for the investor to go forward and purchase the plant which would benefit Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

In the letter, JTUM indicated that SWUTT on January 24 wrote to the Minister of Public Utilities Fitzgerald Hinds, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon and Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste- Primus.

“The responses to the requests were simply that the Minister of Labour acknowledged receipt and the Minister of Trade and industry indicated her unavailability to meet with the representatives. Subsequent to this, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee-Scoon set February 15, as a date to meet with the union and then cancelled the said meeting. Regrettably, the SWUTT, was not even offered a response from the other Ministers,” the letter stated. Roget expressed hope that the PM acts immediately.

“All we are calling for is for the relevant ministers to come together to meet with a joint meeting where the investors will be present,” he said.

He warned that they were preparing, “not too long from now” to put “tens of thousands” of workers on the streets.

“Nobody understands until you protest, like you have to protest everything to get some kind response in this country,” he said.

In a release sent to the media yesterday, the EOC said that sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct in the workplace, and can be disturbing, worrying and psychologically harmful.

“All persons have a right to be treated professionally with respect, decency, and consideration. Sexual harassment is an expression of hostility and aggression.” the release read. “It is important to understand that sexual harassment is abusive. It is not done in jest or ‘good fun’ rather, it is done to intimidate and hurt others.” The EOC described sexual harassment as the unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in the workplace, at an unwilling victim.

While sexual harassment is often thought of in terms of a situation involving a male boss and a female subordinate, instances of sexual harassment can be in many variations.

“Sexual harassment can be perpetrated by male to female, female to male and between or among individuals of the same sex.” the release read, “Sexual harassment may be directed towards a particular person, persons or group. An employer, a supervisor, a fellow employee, or even a client connected with the workplace can be a perpetrator.” The EOC encouraged for victims of sexual harassment to stand against it. They said it must not be ignored, lest the perpetrator takes that as a sign of encouragement or consent. The release said, in several cases, where a victim of sexual harassment confronts the perpetrator, the harassment ends.

However, if it persists, then victims are advised to make a complaint, detailing what happened, where and when it happened and who witnessed the incident, if any

Family members of 22-year-old Terrence Patrick, who was killed on Friday in Enterprise, and 23-yearold Randy Alexander, who was killed in Diego Martin, spoke to reporters yesterday while awaiting the results of an autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

They say both men were wrongly represented in earlier reports.

Patrick was one of two people shot dead on Friday at his home at John Street, Enterprise, Laventille.

The second man killed was identified as Christian Mohammed. Two other people shot in the incident were treated at hospital and have since been discharged.

Contrary to earlier reports which indicated that Patrick was a member of a gang operating out of the Enterprise area, relatives described him as a peaceful, God-fearing, practising Muslim.

“Police keep labelling Muslims in Enterprise,” said one relative. “As soon as they hear you are a Muslim, they assume you are in a gang.

He never interfered with anyone.” Relatives yesterday told Newsday that Patrick, a self-employed man, was liming with three other friends on Friday afternoon when their house was attacked by gunmen.

They said they felt the men were sent to kill everyone in the house.

“There were 15 of us in the house at the time, including six children.

We have been receiving threats for over two months.” In Alexander’s case, a relative said he was never charged or jailed for any offence.

“Why police say he was known to them is because gangsters attacked him,” said one relative.

After he was attacked in Diego Martin, he moved to Petit Valley where he was later shot and his leg had to be amputated. Relatives said he was under police protection for a number of years but grew tired of hiding and eventually moved back to Diego Martin. On Friday night at about 9.30 pm, Alexander was sitting in the gallery of his Farm Road, Richplain home with a neighbour. The neighbour got up and went inside. Just then gunshots were heard. When the neighbour returned, Alexander was found slumped over a chair. Relatives described Alexander, a father of one, as a loving man

Chad Eastman, 31, of Maloney Gardens, was yesterday sentenced by Justice Carla Brown-Antoine in the Port of Spain Second Criminal Court, after he pleaded guilty to felony murder; a classification of murder which no longer carries an automatic sentence of death.

The rule empowers judges to bypass the mandatory death penalty for murder in lieu of a prison sentence in cases where a person kills another while committing another criminal offence.

Eastman, who was represented by attorneys Larry Lalla and Jagdeo Singh, will serve eight years and six months of the 18 year sentence as he has already spent nine years and six months on remand awaiting trial.

Prosecutors attorneys Nigel Pilgrim and Giselle Ferguson-Heller represented the State.

Anslem Regis, 43, in 2003, became the country’s 105th murder victim, when he was abducted, robbed and shot in the head on June 11.He was then thrown out of his car by the killers who escaped in his Honda Civic.

A witness to the shooting contacted police and at about 1 am the following day, police led by PC Simeon Guellmo, were on mobile patrol when they saw the four assailants at Welcome Road, Cunupia.

The car was intercepted, the were arrested and a homemade double barrel shotgun was found.

Stolen items and ammunition were also discovered.

Eastman said on the night of June 11, 2003, he and the other men went to the Pinto Road Taxi Stand where they entered Regis’ car after which one of the men pulled out a shotgun.

He said when the car slowed down, he and a third man jumped out when they heard a loud ringing sound and blood was spraying from the driver’s head. The driver, he said, fell out of the car and they drove off.

At yesterday’s hearing, victim impact statements from Regis’ wife, Eula, and their son Marvin were presented to the court.

Marvin Regis, who was 13 at the time of the killing, said his father’s death affected him with his school work and he became detached.

Eula Regis said her husband’s murder impacted her family badly.

She said her children had to undergo counselling and she still sees the pain and sorrow etched on their faces.

Seedan told Gibson that the store’s manager Nyron Deo had secured the premises on Thursday and, upon reopening for business the following day, discovered missing a Gould water pump, a chop saw, computer, keyboard and mouse; power pack, all together valued $29,030.

Told by Gibson that he had been in and out of jail for similar crimes, Hosein replied, “Maam, do what you want. Help me.” Gibson replied, “No one will help you, until you help yourself

The Speaker briefly welcomed pupils, followed by a narration of the Queen’s Address to the Commonwealth for 2017. She said the Commonwealth is a group of 52 nations with a total population of 2.4 billion people, nearly twothirds of whom are youngsters under age 30 years. Dispelling the idea of “peace” as a passive state, the Speaker said, “The achievement and existence of peace require deliberate and conscious action through the employment of specific peace building tools which we felt duty bound to share with you”.

Pupils enjoyed a skit about classroom conflict performed by the Arts in Action (AIA) programme of the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, with Brendon La Caille in lead role as a frustrated teacher having to handle equally irritated “students”.

The AIA’s Tishana Williams allowed onlooking pupils to stop the unfolding scenario at any point where they thought the “teacher” or “pupils” had behaved badly, and suggest better options for conduct.

The pupils urged that the teacher character should speak in a softer tone, not make hand-gestures in the pupil’s face and not vent his woes in the classroom. The onlookers said the pupil needed to show more honesty and respect in explaining why she’d not done her homework assignment.

Transformation coach, Judy Joseph Mc Sween, remarked, “Who would believe that a classroom could be so full of stress? We can change it by some simple ways.” Earlier she had led pupils in an exercise of deep-breathing/meditation.

Citizen Security Programme (CSP) coordinator, Gregory Sloane Seale, spoke of how pupils could use four tools of emotional intelligence to cope with their current feelings – self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation and empathy. He said meditation is a very good tool, especially to help traumatised pupils. Meditation helps people to slow down and find their own inner peace and silence and self-control. The aims and methods of mediation for conflict resolution were spelt out in a talk by the Mediation Board directors, Elizabeth Solomon and Anthony Gafoor.

The Centre for Human Development’s Candice Moore got pupils to peacefully greet each other by hand-shakes, “bounces”, high fives and two-taps Also from the centre, psychologist, Cherene Mohammed, got pupils to think about what “peace” means – such as an absence of disturbance, hostility or discrimination.

“Peace begins with a mind-set,” she said. “We are what we think”. Pupils attended from 39 schools, colleges and institutions nationwide.

These were ASJA Girls (Charlieville and Tunapuna), Barrackpore East, Belmont, Carapichaima East, Corpus Christi, Diego Martin Central, El Dorado East, El Dorado West, Fatima, Fyzabad, Gasparillo, Hillview, Holy Faith (Penal), Malabar, Marabella South, Mayaro, Naparima Girls, North Eastern, Presentation, Princes Town East, QRC, Russell Latapy, San Juan South, San Fernando Central, San Fernando East, St Augustine Girls, St Augustine Secondary, St Joseph’s College, St Joseph’s Convent (St Joseph), St Jude’s Home, St Michael’s Home, SWAHA, Tranquility, Tunapuna Secondary, Waterloo, Woodbrook and the Youth Training Centre.

“The Attorney General asked the question “since when is that (consultation) a feature of our Parliamentary Practice.” These words of the Attorney General are to say the least, clearly frightening since it betrays a philosophy that excludes the Opposition from shared governance,” Rambachan stated.

“When combined with the arbitrary removal of the threefifths majority required to pass the Marriage Bill and his further statement that he will do away with such majority in future legislation as a tactic to get his bills passed, we are seeing the birth of a dangerous enemy to our democracy,” he added.

Rambachan said the nation could not “sit idly by and allow the Attorney General and his colleagues to undermine the Constitution and their rights. There is an obligation for right thinking people who value freedom, shared Governance and a democratic country to lift their voices against the Attorney General and the PNM.”

The RTDG, which includes the Anjuman Sunnat Ul Jamaat Association (ASJA); Trinidad Muslim League Inc. (TML); Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Trinidad and Tobago; Darul Uloom of Trinidad and Tobago Limited and Tackveeyatul Islamic Association met with the Attorney General at his Port-of- Spain offices last Friday.

In a statement yesterday, RTDG coordinator Hafeez Khan noted in regard to the Anti-Terror Bill, the Muslim community “is cognisant of the responsibility of the Government to protect the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago” including the Muslim community.

“We are not sympathetic to those citizens who are choosing to jeopardise their lives and the security of our country by engaging in terrorist activity either directly or indirectly,” Khan stated, adding, “we commend the Attorney General and the Government for bringing this piece of legislation to Parliament at this time.” “Our examination of the amendments shows it would clearly strengthen the bill by making the language clearer and closing some loop holes. The anti-terror amendments are from an Islamic perspective, generally a good piece of legislation as it seeks to maintain social order and protect the society from the evil of those who would want to perpetrate terrorist acts,” he stated.

“However there are some doors left open that could bring harm to some. We are therefore requesting that some measures be put in to avoid and or minimise those consequences,” he stated, adding that an organisation could be branded wrongfully based on the actions of one individual.

“You are penalising all the persons in an organisation or business, ie other directors, shareholders, and employees, who may not have known or suported the actions of one director, manager, secretary or other officer,” he stated.

He also noted that because the Act “reverses the established principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, (not being given the right to be heard or defend himself) there should be provisions to expedite the opportunity for a person who may be innocent to prove his innocence.”

In a statement the association said, “We must consider the negative perception and damaging effects remarks of this nature can have on an industry which employs over 10,000 Trinidad and Tobago citizens, represents over 15 percent of our nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and which provides services to close to one million Trinidad and Tobago citizens. Many of our members have operated in Trinidad and Tobago for decades and have played an important role in the development of our twin island nation since its independence in 1962.” It adds that the banks have helped millions of citizens save for their retirement, own their first home, open their first small business and generally realise on their dreams and aspirations.

Indeed our members have also supported various government entities and the sovereign itself in raising funds to support the direct development of critical state projects since independence.

It said, “A functioning and vibrant financial services industry is critical to the future development and stability of Trinidad and Tobago, especially as the country grapples with the current negative economic environment. We can reflect on the damage done to the world economy by the collapse in 2008 of the financial industry in the USA to understand how destructive the effects of a financial sector shock and the resulting loss in confidence can have on any country.”