Triple whammy hits employment

One of the profound changes in employment that has taken place, not just in Trinidad and Tobago but in most of the post-colonial Caribbean over the past half-century has been the triple whammy of crime, distrust of government and the increase in private enterprise.

There was a time, not more than 50 years ago, when, even if the government was not trusted, it was at least unwillingly obeyed, with the unwitting obedience of pre-adolescence – a teenager's resentment of authority that imposed obedience to rules that were considered restrictive – but most people were too busy with other things to do, and went on living their lives without taking the extra effort to disobey.

There were social as well as legislative rules that were restrictive. Some were as stupid as how people wore their hair, imposed by leaders who seemed to get a surge of power from the rules being obeyed. Most were aimed at schoolchildren, but not all.

In the field of industrial relations, I had cases where wearing an Afro was cause for disciplinary action; where a rebellious young woman was disciplined for shaving off all her hair; one who was suspended for dying her hair three different colours; where a bank employee was issued disciplinary notice when his hair grew beyond his collar to below his shoulders; and another where he came to work in cornrows (In a bank? Oh my!).

Perhaps not as crazy as a young woman who came to work (also in a bank) with black lipstick, black and silver eyeshadow, in a transparent blouse and without underwear.

Not unexpectedly, her (male) supervisor sent her to his (male) manager for discipline, and she was sent by his manager to a male industrial relations officer to be disciplined, and on up the ladder until, finally, a manager who was a woman steupsed and sent her home.

Then there were dreadlocks, and eyebrows went up when our current Minister of National Security showed his independent judgement by flaunting his in Parliament, not neatly ponytailed as they are now.

Then, one day, the creeping privatisation that no one had noticed had taken place finally made an impact. People had been complaining about how sloppy and inefficient the various aspects of the government service had become. The education of children in government schools that, in times gone, produced heroes like Sir Trevor McDonald, who, schooled by teachers born and raised in San Fernando, had eventually gone to England to teach their top media announcers how to speak English properly. Meanwhile, back at home, most teachers could no longer teach them how to pronounce, "She had a sieve of thistles. She had a sieve of unsifted thistles and a sieve of sifted thistles, therefore she was a thistle-sifter."

So classrooms from kindergarten and nursery school going up became privatised, and every parent who had ambitions for their children felt that schools run by religious bodies were the only way to go, however much damage they did.

When police officers could no longer be trusted to turn up, neatly uniformed and on time, and not take over police vehicles for personal joyrides, expensive but well-supervised private security services were established, to guard and serve both property and people.

When patients were left to lie in their own squalor in understaffed, unsanitary and crowded public hospital wards, and visitors saw food and cutlery meant for the sick going home instead with paid hospital staff, it was hardly surprising that private doctors started to set up clinics. The services back in the day that had been paid for out of taxes now were borne by medical staff, and became very, very expensive, which is what happens when government services are privatised. But at least they are sanitary.

People blamed Dr Eric Williams for building up a culture of dependency among citizens who expected, nay, demanded, free service from kindergarten up to housing, which they felt they had a "right to."

They complained about a corrupt, impolite and inefficient public service, while behind the scenes they sought and accepted "freeness." And over the decades the private sector grew and prices rose.

Last week a concerned letter-writer commented on the lack of scanners at our ports. It had happened before. About ten or 15 years ago, several years of public outcry had actually resulted in the importation of scanners that could detect contraband, weapons, etc. They were bought, came in and soon afterwards failed for lack of maintenance (of course).

Violence and the use and abuse of weapons has grown. It is known and has been openly stated by the police that they come into the country through the port. This is not just “Tong says.”

Creditable editors write and speak of it as well. So the letter-writer, obviously an intelligent man, suggested introducing mobile posts along the East-West Corridor and setting up surveillance cameras to further the effort to enhance security inside and outside warehouses.

Anything is worth trying.

At Piarco, an airline agent for a private firm decided not to wait on government promises and took proactive action by buying his own scanner to make sure the goods being imported to his company’s warehouse were safe and undiluted by weapons, ammunition, illegal drugs and other contraband. It has worked.

When those paid and appointed by government to provide measures of national security not only fail, but may provide assistance to criminal action for their own profit, trust in government evaporates even further than it already has.

Dr Williams must be rolling in his grave.