00:00The TNT Scrap Iron Dealers Association has accused foreigners of taking over local scrap
00:05yards, bypassing scrap iron dealers and buying directly from collectors.
00:10TTC President Alan Ferguson admitted nearly a week ago that the association was responsible
00:17for inviting those foreign businessmen into the country.
00:21The complaints haven't gone unnoticed by Trade Minister Paula Gopiskun.
00:25She says it's about the third time those remarks have been made.
00:29While Ferguson questioned the legality of what is transpiring, Gopiskun suggests otherwise,
00:35based on the structure local dealers have implemented.
00:39So those exporters are also dealers in the sense, in the right sense, okay, so they are
00:46registered dealers as well as all local people are dealers.
00:50So they're not illegally here ostensibly, they are dealers.
00:57What I think they're concerned about is that they perhaps have gone into the realm now
01:01of collecting as well, which is what the local dealers were primarily doing, collecting from
01:08consumers all across Trinidad and Tobago.
01:11Gopiskun says to remedy the problem, a formal and legal system has to be put in place for
01:17both collectors and dealers.
01:19And according to her, that is what the ministry has been attempting to do.
01:23We have put past the policy, we have passed the legislation, and we have not been getting
01:30the dealers to get their collectors registered.
01:34So it's free season.
01:37So I don't know how the scrap iron dealers expect the ministry to attend to the collectors
01:45who operate under the foreign dealers and not attend to the collectors who operate under
01:51the local dealers.
01:53It has to be equitable.
01:55The minister states that for this reason, it is difficult to place any focus on the
01:59complaints filed by Ferguson, as she calls on the association to get its members in order.
02:05They have to comply with the law first and foremost.
02:08And when they start doing that, then we'll be able to deal with everyone across the board.
02:13Do we know, on average, I know you wouldn't know offhand, but the percentage as to how
02:18many of them are unregistered in terms of the collectors?
02:22Because all of the collectors are unregistered.
02:26So we have a problem, and we've got to fix it.
02:29And I've given, this is about the third extension that we've given, and we're going to be very
02:33firm now.
02:34Gopi Skoon tells us the problem is not bureaucracy in getting registered.
02:39She notes that her ministry invited collectors to the Centre of Excellence for Training and
02:44to teach them how to use the registration forms, which she says are also online.
02:49So there's no bar to doing what is required.
02:52But perhaps there are those that still wish to operate illegally, and we will not stand
02:57for that.
02:58Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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