00:00As the countdown to Carnival Monday and Tuesday continues, rural development and local government Minister Khadijah Amin is preparing clean
00:08-up workers for what is expected to be one of the busiest weekends on the national calendar.
00:14Meeting with crews ahead of the intense build-up, Minister Amin thanked workers for the positive feedback received so far,
00:21but stressed that the coming days will demand even greater focus and responsibility.
00:26So far, we had real good feedback from all the work. All the work can be worked good, all the
00:31work can clean everything. We're going into a very intense period. So I want all the to keep up that,
00:37keep up that performance. We're going into a time when all the car, drink and come to work drunk, all
00:44the car, come to work late. We have some hours to push. We will have some midnight.
00:50It will have some days we will work like midnight to maybe 5, 6 a.m. There may be times
00:56when after you work that, you go home and they pull you back out. If you do have to work
01:01like that kind of double shift, you will get a day off to compensate you.
01:04The minister also addressed reports of minor incidents, including fractured windscreens, reminding workers to exercise caution while operating equipment and
01:14to maintain strict workplace standards.
01:16I don't want all the getting all the trouble. Be careful in terms of your work and you don't want
01:22to damage nobody's windscreen and these type of things.
01:25But during the carnival period itself, all you have may have to work alongside masqueraders. All you know it is
01:30have drunk people. It's all kind of people.
01:32So work to suit. I want all you to maintain the discipline, maintain the work ethic that you all have
01:38been doing so far.
01:39So far, we have had good feedback from this team. Porta Spain is going to be the heartbeat of carnival.
01:45And so this area around the stadium, the soccer drum is coming here. We will have thousands of masqueraders passing
01:52along the street going down Rice Road and all these areas all up on the avenue.
01:56So part of the area that you are assigned to is a real heavy concentration. And we want by Ash
02:03Wednesday morning, nobody must see a speck of rubbish on the road.
02:06The cleanup initiative forms part of a broader national program aimed at maintaining venues, public spaces and recreational areas used
02:15not only during carnival but throughout the year.
02:18Workers were also assured that their compensation will be processed at the end of the period.
02:24At the end of the February is when all you get in pay. Some people work for two fortnight, some
02:28for one, some only started this morning.
02:30But at the end of February is when all you pay will possibly take about a week to process because
02:36over a thousand workers we have.
02:39So after that is when all you will get all your pay.
02:41Minister Amin encouraged workers to remain committed, emphasizing punctuality, discipline and teamwork as critical to the program's success.
02:49We need opportunities. We need work. We need sustainable jobs.
02:54That's one of the reasons the Prime Minister asked us to create this program.
02:57Because before it was, I mean they used to give it to contractors, but the contractors making more money than
03:02you.
03:02So now the workers are getting more pay, but we don't have contractors.
03:07So it means that all you have to have the discipline and manage all yourself is to take all the
03:10foremen, take the instructions and work accordingly.
03:13But while crews will be working round the clock to keep streets and venues clear, the minister says responsibility does
03:20not rest solely on their shoulders.
03:23Patrons and masqueraders, she notes, must also play their part in preserving a clean and safe environment.
03:29People have to be mindful of their surroundings, look for a garbage bag, carry home your garbage.
03:36With thousands expected to flood the streets for the two-day festival, authorities are hoping cooperation from all will ensure
03:43that when the music fades, there's not a trace of rubbish left behind.
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