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  • 1 year ago
The industrial action at the Port of Spain Port only served to make a bad situation worse.


That's according to the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, which calls on the authorities to intervene concerning the closure of the Container Examination section of the Port.


Alicia Boucher has more in this report.
Transcript
00:00The issue between the Port Authority and the Seamen and Waterfront Workers' Trade Union
00:04remains shrouded in uncertainty amid what has been days of industrial action by workers,
00:10severely impacting operations at the port.
00:13Both sides have made demands and outlined conditions to be met in moving forward, but
00:18neither side has committed to meeting the demands of the other, except to say that workers
00:23came out for duty on Wednesday.
00:26Well according to Vice President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Dr Valmiki
00:30Arjun, the problem is compounded for those who ship containers through the port.
00:36The Chaguanas Chamber is deeply concerned about the significant delays at the Port of
00:40Port of Spain due to the closure of the container examination section and the ongoing industrial
00:46action.
00:48The container examination section has been closed for about five weeks now because of
00:51a supposed rat infestation.
00:54And there's no clear indication of when it's going to reopen.
00:58Now a temporary measure has been put in place where customs officers are now conducting
01:02inspections and clearing containers at importers' premises.
01:05But according to Dr Arjun, it has led to longer wait times for container clearing, which in
01:10turn has driven up the cost of rent and demerits charges.
01:14These delays are further compounded because of the industrial action at the port.
01:19The absence of crane operators and other equipment operators has significantly affected
01:25the loading and the unloading of cargoes from shipping vessels.
01:28And this has led to cargoes being stranded on shipping vessels, which have worsened the
01:33already extended timelines for clearing imports.
01:37To mitigate these delays, many importers are paying extra for customs over time in an effort
01:44to access their cargo and lessen the already burdensome disruptions to their business operations.
01:50The Chamber says this has the potential to adversely impact the competitiveness of the
01:55private sector, as business costs will go up.
01:58Dr Arjun states that the more vulnerable SMEs will be at the forefront of that, and some
02:04businesses may even pass on the costs to the consumer.
02:08If there are delays in clearing raw materials, the Chamber says, the manufacturing sector
02:13stands to lose revenue.
02:15In the meantime, Dr Arjun points out that the government is debating the 2025 budget.
02:20It appears as though this issue, this critical issue, is being neglected.
02:25With the Christmas season approaching, the Chamber wants both matters resolved.
02:30The Shegwana's Chamber urgently calls on the authorities to address this critical issue.
02:35In fact, we recommend that at the very least, the government immediately reduce the port
02:42rental and demerit charges to ease the financial burdens on importers.
02:48We also stress the need for prompt resolution of the cess closure and industrial action
02:54to restore the efficient port operations and safeguard the competitiveness of the private
02:59sector.
03:00Alessia Boucher, TV6 News.
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