In the last decade, Digicel and Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) have generated billions of US dollars in revenue from their operations. For the year ended March 31, 2015, the two groups had revenues of US$4.6 billion with Digicel recording sales of US$2.8 billion and CWC US$1.8 billion.

While Digicel, a private company, does not disaggregate its revenue numbers by country, 87.3 per cent of its revenues come from its mobile business and 65 per cent of its mobile customers are in the Caribbean. 

CWC derived 73 per cent of its revenues from the Caribbean (LIME, Bahamas and its 49 per cent stake in TSTT) in the year ending March 31, 2015.

While both companies have invested billions of US dollars in developing the telecommunications infrastructure in the Caribbean in the last decade, they have also extracted billions of dollars in profits in the form of dividends and other payments, which have flowed to the shareholders of these companies.  

Neither Digicel nor CWC have very many shareholders in the Caribbean as most of Digicel is owned by Denis O’Brien, its Irish founder, and CWC is listed on the London Stock Exchange, where it is difficult, but not impossible, for Caribbean people to buy shares.

Neither Digicel nor CWC has given serious consideration to listing their companies on a regional stock exchange, so that Caribbean people can acquire shares in them, in their own currencies, and share in the wealth they generate. In fact, while Digicel is considering a small listing, some US$200 million, of the company on the New York Stock Exchange, it does not appear to have occurred to the  telecommunications company, which is headquartered in Kingston, that a listing on the Jamaica or T&T stock exchanges might be appropriate.

So, like the sugar plantation owners of the past, these two companies generate a significant percentage of their profits from the Caribbean, but the profits from their operations flow to the owners of these companies, most of whom are not from the Caribbean.

One of the interesting things about the way in which both Digicel and CWC operate in the Caribbean is that while between them they employ thousands of workers throughout the region, neither company has a single director from the Caribbean on their parent company board.

According to its website, the Digicel parent board comprises the following nine directors, all but one of them being Irish: chairman Denis O’Brien and directors Colm Delves, Greg Sparks, Leslie Buckley, Lucy Gaffney, PJ Mara, Seamus Lynch, Sean Corkery and Julian Horn-Smith.

Digicel also has eight group directors, none of whom appear to have been born in the Caribbean. They are group CEO Colm Delves, group COO Andy Thorburn, group chief strategy officer Brian Finn, CEO of Digicel Play Caribbean John Suranyi, group CFO Lawrence Hickey, Asia Pacific CEO Michael Murphy, group HR director Pat Casey and general counsel Tom Reynolds.

That means that of the 16 people who direct Digicel—who strategise about where it is going to deploy its capital, how it is going to raise funds to finance its expansion and the extent to which it is going to diversify its revenue sources away from mobile voice—there are no representatives from the Caribbean sitting in decision-making positions.

There are eight members of the Digicel (T&T) Ltd board, which has three nationals of T&T on it: They are Sandra Welch-Farrell, Michael Fifi and Geoffrey Leid (and if Fifi and Leid sound familiar to you it would be in connection with their long service to the CL Financial group. I am not going there…yet.) 

But the three locals are outnumbered by the five Irish directors on the local board: Colm Delves, John Delves, Denis O’Brien, Leslie Buckley and Lucy Gaffney. In other words, even in deciding the fate of Digicel in T&T, non-Trinidadian voices hold sway.

In terms of Caribbean representation on its parent board, the CWC is no better, comprising the following 11 directors—chairman Richard Lapthorne and directors Phil Bentley, Perley McBride, Simon Ball, John Risley, Mark Hamlin, Brendan Paddick, Alison Platt, Barbara Thoralfsson, Ian Tyler and Thad York—none of whom appear to have anything more than a visiting relationship with the region. 

CWC, which does not have an active subsidiary in T&T, likes to boast about the fact that it has operated in the Caribbean and Latin America since the 1870’s, with a company called the West Indies and Panama Telegraph company being established in 1870. 

So although it has operated for 145 years in this region, has a single Caribbean or Latin American representative ever served on the CWC (or Cable & Wireless) board? 

Fourteen years after Digicel’s launch in April 2001—and although CWC has been operating in the region, in one form or another, for 145 years—there is not one Caribbean national who is knowledgeable enough about telecommunications in the Caribbean, accomplished enough in business or has done enough for Digicel or CWC’s advancement for even one person to have made it to the Digicel or CWC parent board?

This is despite the fact that both companies generate most of their revenues and profits from this region. 

Why is that and what does that say about the way in which both Digicel and CWC operate and their relationship to the region where they generate most of their revenue and profits?

This is not an appeal for all multi-national companies operating in the region to place Caribbean people on their boards. Companies like BP and British Gas, which derive some of their revenues and profits from T&T, are global operations and derive a majority of their revenues and profits from outside of the region.

But a case can be made that companies like Digicel and CWC, which generate a majority of their revenues and profits from Caribbean people, should have representation of Caribbean people on their boards and should list their companies on a regional stock exchange so that Caribbean people can shares in their profits—and the losses. 

One would expect that if one of this country’s major corporate players—such as the ANSA McAL group, Massy Holdings, Guardian Holdings or Republic Bank—were to develop significant sources of revenue from a foreign country, that a qualified representative from that country would eventually sit on their parent board.

One would expect that if Butch Stewart’s Sandals empire were to establish a major operation in Cuba, that a qualified Cuban executive would eventually sit on the Sandals board.

Why is it that we expect less from Digicel and CWC?

​Q.: I’m an aspiring entrepreneur, and a big fan of yours. I started launching businesses at a very young age (I’m 25 now). While not many have done well, I currently co-own two companies; a surf-oriented travel agency and Web site and a fruit export company.

My question is this: How do you master the art of creating businesses that can later be successfully managed by other people? And how do you motivate the person to whom you’ve delegated management responsibilities to care for the business as though it were his own? Also, is it possible to do so with small or medium-sized businesses that aren’t earning millions of dollars?         Gad Levy, Israel

Ensuring that someone else can eventually run the business that you’re building depends on one key thing: whether or not you find the right person. As I’ve pointed out before in this column, the people you hire will make or break you; and this is true no matter how big your company is.

This why I’ve insisted on being involved in senior-level hiring decisions at all of our Virgin companies over the years, even if that sometimes means flying applicants all the way to Necker Island to meet; a practice I have yet to hear complaints about!

And I’m certainly not the only entrepreneur who understands how important hiring decisions are. My friend Larry Page, the co-founder and CEO of Google—a US$400 billion company that hires over 4,000 people a year—insists on having the final say on whether or not to make a job offer to anyone being considered for a leadership role.

Once you delegate responsibilities, the people making decisions will handle many important aspects of your business. But how do you make sure that you can have 100 per cent confidence in their choices?

Well, if you keep a constant stream of strong candidates flowing into every position from the moment you launch your business, promoting from within may be a great solution. Then when an executive or manager does leave, you should try to give that job to someone who is already working for your company; they will already know your business’s strengths and weaknesses, and have the support of the rest of the team.

That said, there will be times when you’ll need to consider bringing in new people, particularly if you’re in a situation where your business is becoming stale. Be sure to take a close look at people who have thrived in different industries and jobs—these people tend to be versatile, good at tackling problems creatively, and to possess transferable skills. To find such candidates, ask people during interviews what jobs they’ve left off their resumes.

Don’t get hung up on qualifications. A person who has multiple degrees in your field isn’t always a better choice than someone who has a broader experience and a good personality.

Another important consideration is whether or not an applicant fits into your company’s culture. The right person will build upon what you’ve created, but the wrong person can bring it all down very quickly; and culture can take an awfully long time to rebuild.

A great way of gauging whether an applicant will fit with your company’s culture is to ask two or three employees who will be working with this person to join the interview process at some point and ask a few questions of their own. 

This process lets you observe how an applicant interacts with them. Look for clues about whether he is fun, friendly and caring; all indications that he understands teamwork and values helping others.

Pay close attention to what candidates say about your industry or business during interviews. Occasionally you’ll run into an applicant who has so many insights that you’ll want to keep talking after the interview is finished. If her resume is not the best fit, it might be a good idea to take a risk and hire her anyway. Mavericks who see opportunities where others see problems can energise your whole group.

Ultimately, though, the best way of making sure that your staff will look after your company is to look after them; treating them with respect, offering good benefits, flexible working hours, and whatever other perks you can offer. Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business. 

It’s as simple as that.

(Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group and companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Active. He maintains a blog at www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/richardbranson. To learn more about the Virgin Group: www.virgin.com.)

(Questions from readers will be answered in future columns. Please send them to RichardBranson@nytimes.com. Please include your name, country, e-mail address and the name of the Web site or publication where you read the column.)

Congratulations to Jamaica on defeating the USA 2-1 at the Gold Cup in the USA. This victory needs to be recognised and appreciated.

Jamaica is representing the entire Caribbean now. The Reggae Boyz have done us proud again.

When I am abroad and they say, “Trinidad, Jamaica?” I nod in the affirmative. We have hit the headlines for all the right positive reasons.

Sport is the ultimate unifier. When we venture abroad we realise that we are all one Caribbean people.

The Black Stalin recognised this fact many years ago with his calypso, Caribbean Man.

Jamaica, the entire region is supporting you in the final on Sunday.

It matters not who your opponent is. The trashing will be the same. Make it happen. You are in control.

Show them what Jamaicans can do.

Saw an American player with a rasta hairstyle; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When you cannot beat them, join them. 

One love, one Caribbean. A so we ah dweet.

AV Rampersad,

Princes Town

It is not in the Prime Minister’s interest to have a debate with Dr Rowley. The possibility that he will successfully upstage her is too close a chance to be taken. It has nothing to do with nerves, a lack of intelligence or her debating skills or any of the dates chosen.  

There is just that very tiny chance that he may look and sound better to even her most ardent admirers. 

And you can jump high or you can jump low, her advisers will not allow such a risk to be taken.

In politics, in real life and in the movies, image is everything. 

Lynette Joseph

via e-mail

Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed the large group of men in long white garments standing under the wide, covered pavement of the National Library building. Several women sat on the concrete benches, covered in black cloth, veils and headscarves, looking like oversized plastic garbage bags. Something was going on, he registered, but his mind was on matters more important to him than even a gang of burly men in Muslim garb gathering outside the CID building, with the anniversary of the 1990 coup attempt just days away.

In another mood, his own survival instincts would have caused him to pay more attention to what, in Port-of-Spain post-1990, New York post-9/11, London post-7/7, any city in the world post-Charlie Hebdo, were serious danger signs. 

But his mind was agitated by other thoughts: would she be all right? What happened, if she weren’t? He walked through the southwestern gate into Woodford Square and the cries of, “La-il-aha-il-Allah!” faded into the background.

It had been a long week and his attention span was short, unless riveted on her. There are no worries like health worries, not even financial ones—though those two were tied together nowadays. When he was a boy, if you were sick, you went to hospital, and doctors and nurses flurried about to make you better. 

Now he was a man, if you were sick, your first visit was to your insurance company, to ensure your premiums were paid up.

For months, they had watched batteries of medical men send her through glittering chrome machines that made small noises and extracted large payments. No two doctors agreed on anything, other than, whatever they did, it would cost as much as a house in Diego Martin. 

His friend, Morris, when he heard about the tests, said: “You ever seen video of killer whales tossing a seal from nose to nose? Well, that is you and firetrucking doctors! And they don’t stop until the seal is dead or your wallet is empty!”

But, this morning, everything would pan out, one way or the other. The receptionist buzzed him through the door and escorted him directly to the doctor, who was smiling like a pig in ordure or a politician in the treasury. 

He slumped into the chair, not hearing anything other than that she was all right. The complete financial implosion the family had just sidestepped didn’t even arise: she’d be around a bit longer.

Relief swept over him but, oddly, was immediately washed over by rocking waves of regret. The doctor droned on, good news getting better all the time, no need for this or that, straight back to normal life…but he felt more and more bothered when he should have been feeling increasingly better.

And then it hit him: the instant they heard the good news, they’d all dismiss the last year: they had not been worried at all; they always knew she would be fine. And then they’d turn on him. You were making us all tense for no good reason. You are just a pain in the neck. 

So it had always been: him trying to get them to open up to one another, all of them happier to close ranks against him. With him always on the outside, everybody else had all the proof they needed that they were together.

And they all then felt safer.  

No matter how real or immediate the danger.

When they buried her, it would finally hit them it was too late to hug her or tell her the things they always wanted to. He was almost back at the car park when he realised that, after her funeral, they would turn, not to, but on him. He chuckled.

Shouts of “Allahu-akbar!” arose and he looked up to see the tall man emerging from the CID doorway, as he had from TTT 25 years before, but without a gun raised above his head this time. He stopped to watch the throng of supporters mob their hero.

Most people on his side of the social fence saw the tall man as a villain; but here were people who were ready to die for him; who had once been ready to kill for him; who might well be still. 

They had camped out at the Nalis building since his arrest, visibly adding tension to an unnerving situation. The police had kept the tall man locked up for three days; could a reemergence have been engineered to be any more messianic?

Only now, with his personal worries abated, did he think about what this might have meant for everyone else. 

And he felt a rage building in him that was not unconnected to the way he was treated by those around him, perhaps, but had much more to do with how this tall hero/villain was treated by the police who surrounded him: if there was evidence to detain the tall man, he should not have emerged; if there wasn’t evidence to detain him, he should not have been arrested. 

Port-of-Spain might have burned again because somebody wanted to “make as eef” they were doing something when they were doing the same old nothing.

And anyone who pointed out the glaringly obvious dangers was treated like a traitor.

And he stood stock still as the understanding rocked him: the people who did the most harm here were not the ones who actively schemed, but the ones who went about their business, day in, day out, unthinking.

 n BC Pires is making it clear that wife, daughter, mother, everybody is alive and well and the death-threatened individual is just a short story device for the threatened nation—but he will still accept Best Buy gift cards as condolences.

Effective public procurement legislation and transparency in the spending of public money are compelling elements of a nation’s economic profile to investors and government to government cooperation contracts.

As early as December 2011, it seemed that the freshly elected People’s Partnership government would be delivering on one of its key campaign promises by implementing procurement legislation designed to ensure greater transparency in the public sector spending. 

Minister of Planning Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie had just been appointed chairman of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament (JSC) overseeing the work on legislative proposals on public procurement and the repealing and replacing of the Central Tenders Board Act.

In announcing that there were at least four issues that were proving to be challenging, Dr Tewarie noted that the legislation was “necessary for the country’s own sense of public security about the transparency that accompanies matters of procurement.”

He further noted that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had “a sense of urgency” about keeping her party’s promise to implement the legislation. Almost a year later, the Joint Consultative Council (JCC) was calling on Dr Tewarie to open the bill for public debate and discussion. Fast forward to Wednesday’s meeting with the JCC, which still has its own boneyard to pick with the Prime Minister after five years in office.

JCC chairman Afra Raymond was particularly concerned about the lingering link between political financiers and megaprojects, most recently exemplified by the fuzziness surrounding the arrangements made for the construction of the Beetham Waste Water Management project, which he described as proceeding “in unseemly secrecy.” To her credit, the Prime Minister was unfazed by Mr Raymond’s bluntly phrased concerns and promised rapid implementation of procurement regulations following the proclamation of which are being drafted to give life to the procurement act.

It’s been a long hard road for the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Bill, which after more than ten years was passed in the Senate on December 16, 2014. 

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and deputy political leader Marlene McDonald were absent, having argued that the passage of the bill for the previous four and a half years had been stalled deliberately to “conduct certain procurement activities.”

The JCC began working on a draft of the bill in 2003—a civil society, private sector effort to improve procurement law and to make the award of contracts a more transparent process. Effective public procurement legislation and transparency in the spending of public money are compelling elements of a nation’s economic profile to investors and government to government cooperation contracts.

The Inter-American Development Bank, Organisation of American States and the Inter-American Network on Government collaborated with the T&T Government on procurement training in June 2014. Soon after the bill was passed into law, Minister of Finance and the Economy, Larry Howai warned that it would be at least a year before the legislation could be implemented as a specific suite of regulations.

It’s unclear why the bill, which is designed to replace existing law and would have been crafted with specific implementations in mind, wasn’t created with a parallel whitepaper of suggested regulatory processes. 

Mr Howai was sure that even with the input of consultants, it would be another year’s work to bring the law into effective practice. So said, so done. 

Despite making procurement legislation and transparency in governance a crucial political differential in the heat of the 2010 election, the PP government looks set to face the polls with the same processes and Central Tenders Board that it met when it assumed office. 

It is a promise that should have been kept.

LONDON—Pearson PLC, the owner of the Financial Times, said yesterday it has agreed to sell FT Group to Japanese media group Nikkei Inc. for £844 million (US$1.3 billion), payable in cash.

John Fallon, chief executive of Pearson, said the company has been a proud proprietor of the Financial Times for nearly 60 years, but it is time for the business daily to change hands.

“We’ve reached an inflection point in media, driven by the explosive growth of mobile and social. In this new environment, the best way to ensure the FT’s journalistic and commercial success is for it to be part of a global, digital news company,” he said in a statement.

Nikkei Inc. is the largest independent business media group in Asia. Its core business is newspaper publishing, and its flagship paper, The Nikkei, has about three million subscribers.

The deal would be one of the largest-ever acquisitions by a Japanese media company, said Nikkei Asian Review, one of the company’s outlets.

Pearson, which considers educational products and services its core business, acquired the salmon-colored Financial Times in 1957. The FT Group includes the Financial Times, FT.com, a 50 per cent stake in The Economist Group, and a joint venture with Vedomosti, a Russian business newspaper.

The deal with Nikkei does not include FT Group’s London headquarters or Pearson’s stake in The Economist, Pearson said. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close before the end of the year.

Pearson will now focus fully on its global education business, Fallon said.

Nikkei, founded in 1876, also operates media businesses including books and magazines, digital media, database services and broadcasting. The company recently re-launched its English-language services online and in print as part of a strategy to expand its coverage from Japan to Asia.

Nikkei Chairman and CEO Tsuneo Kita says he is “extremely proud” to team with the FT.

“Our motto of providing high-quality reporting on economic and other news, while maintaining fairness and impartiality, is very close to that of the FT,” he said in a statement. “We share the same journalistic values.”

The FT reported earlier Thursday that the potential FT Group buyer was German newspaper company Axel Springer, which publishes mass-circulation tabloid Bild and national daily Die Welt. It cited “several people familiar with the situation.” Axel Springer denied the report. (AP)

Red Steel spikes Tallawahs

VINODE MAMCHAN

At the end of the match Morgan Bravo stood at the pavilion gates a pleased man, greeting well wishers as both his sons played important roles and in the process took the T&T Red Steel to the second semi-finals of the 2015 Hero CPL T20 tournament at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday night.

Firstly younger son Darren Bravo slammed an imperious unbeaten 84 to lead the Red Steel to a competitive 152/6 off their allotted 20 overs. Dwayne Bravo then stepped up with the ball, returning his best ever bowling performance in T20 cricket, taking 5/23 to stop Jamaica’s easy run to the target. Today the Red Steel returns to the Oval looking to put a revenge licking on the Guyana Amazon Warriors to book a place in the finals against the Tridents tomorrow.

At one stage the Jamaicans were sitting pretty at 97/2 in the 14th over but Bravo induced a slide that saw them lose their last eight wickets for just 28 runs. The ‘World Boss’ Chris Gayle had given his team a rapid start, hammering 30 off 21 balls with three sixes and two fours. He was cut short by the clever off-spin bowling of Johan Botha. The struggling Mahela Jayawardene was then very unlucky to be given out caught at slip after replays showed that the bad hit is upper arm. He left at 66/2 but Chadwick Walton using forthright methods, found a similar ally in Jermaine Blackwood and they again took the game away from the Red Steel. Bravo then removed Blackwood for 23 off 22 balls and at this point wickets starting falling regularly and the game swung decisively in favour of the home team. Walton made 31 off 30 balls but that was really the only thing to write home about. Andre Russell was bowled neck and crop by Bravo and ith him went the hope of the Tallawahs.

Earlier, Dwayne Bravo won the toss and decided to bat first, which has become customary from all captains in this tournament. However, within the ‘powerplay’ he would have rued his decision, as his team lost three quick wickets with just 18 runs on the board.

Cameron Delport opening the innings was bowled by Krishmar Santokie, the ‘big fish’ Jacques Kallis was caught off Jerome Taylor for six and Kamran Akmal also fell to Taylor for six.

The big crowd on hand was kept very quiet as the Tallawahs were on the attack. Sensible batting was what the doctor prescribed and it came in the form of Darren Bravo and Jason Mohammed.

Using their experience to full effect, they were able to turn over the strike and most importantly put away the bad balls. As the fans consumed their choiced beverages, they started to get louder and there was reason to, as runs started to flow.

The two added 80 runs off 10.1 overs before Mohammed fell for 28 off 25 balls, which included a six and two fours. Darren was still there to carry the hopes of his team and his brother Dwayne arrived. Normally they bat well together but Dwayne left Darren to do the job, as he walked back to the dugout for five.

Darren did do the job and batted until the end, getting an unbeaten 86 off 63 balls with six sixes and four fours. This followed his unbeaten 80 and 40 at this venue last week.

SCOREBOARD

Red Steel vs Tallawahs

J Kallis  c Russell b Taylor*6

C Delport   b Santokie*1

K Akmal    c Jayawardene b Taylor*6

DM Bravo    not out*86

J Mohammed  c Bonner b Deonarine*28

DJ Bravo      c Lynn b Miller*5

K Cooper      c & b Russell*9

J Botha         not out*1

Extras       1lb, 9w*10

Total    for six wkts (20ovs)*152

Fall of wkts: 3, 7, 18, 98, 121, 137.

Bowling: K Santokie 4-0-31-1, J Taylor 4-0-28-2, A Russell 4-0-30-1, N Deonarine 4-0-31-1, N Miller 4-0-31-1.

Tallawahs Inns

M Jayawardene   c Kallis b Benn*16

C Gayle         c & b Botha*30

C Walton      b Cooper*31

J Blackwood   c sub Searles b Bravo*23

A Russell       b Bravo*6

C Lynn         b Cooper*3

N Deonarine   c Delport b Bravo*5

N Bonner      b Bravo*7

K Santokie    c Delport b Bravo*0

J Taylor       b Kallis*2

N Miller      not out*1

Extras    lb1*1

Total  all out (19.3ovs)*125

Fall of wkts: 38, 66, 97, 106, 110, 111, 117, 122, 122, 125.

Bowling: J Kallis 2.3-0-17-1, D Bravo 4-0-23-5, J Botha 2-0-14-1, S Benn 3-0-29-1, S Badree 3-0-14-0, D Davis 1-0-6-0, K Cooper 4-0-21-2.

Result: T&T Red Steel won by 27 runs.

T&T Red Steel plays Guyana in second semi-final.

Man of the match: Darren Bravo.

Tertiary-level students who possess the new MTEST Edu-ID Card would be able to benefit from Digicel services said Garrett Quinn, General Manager, Digicel Business.

“Digicel is happy to be part of this. Digicel is part of the process of innovation. At present there are 70,000 GATE approved students and each student will benefit. The future of the country lies with these 70,000 students,” he said.

Quinn spoke on Wednesday at the launch of MTEST Edu-ID Card at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) O’Meara Campus, Arima.

Minister of Tertiary Education, Fazal Karim who also spoke said this national student ID card will eventually help account for and track every single tertiary-level student and skills training student in the country.

Students can use it to access services at discount prices from companies that are partnering on the project such as TSTT, Digicel and Unicomer/Courts.

In the case of TSTT, the students would access cheaper Internet packages, while in the case of Courts there would be discounts on furniture, computers among other items.

Fifty students received these ID cards at the launch.

Karim said: “This is the first such ID card for any Caricom country.  This is for students who are working and those who are studying full time. The information from the card will be used for data and decision making, it will also be used to identify all students whether you are a national of T&T or a non national,” he said.

Karim repeated that the Government has no intention of removing the GATE programme but wants to deepen it.

“Given the season that we are in I want to make it abundantly clear, I give the assurance publicly that the GATE programme will not be interfered with and it will remain open and be expanded. The programme will also see an increase in efficiency. We want to see our graduates work ready as some of our graduates are not work ready,” he said.

The minister also said that this country now has one of the highest tertiary participation rates in the world. 

“We have exceeded the participation rate in the tertiary level sector which was set at the figure of 60 per cent  and now we would have surpassed that with the rate of 65.23 per cent. That is the academic side. When you add those involved in the vocational sector, it exceeds 75 per cent. There is no country in this part of the world and there are few countries in the world at large that would have attained this participation rate in the tertiary education sector,” he said.

Alloy Youksee MSc, Lecturer, CISPS

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the freedoms to associate and bargain collectively are fundamental rights. These rights are entrenched within the ILO Constitution and the Declaration of Philadelphia annexed to the ILO Constitution. They have been reaffirmed by the international community, notably at the 1995 World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen and in the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These enabling rights make it possible to promote and realise decent conditions at work.

As such, the right to strike against any perceived or real injustice has been long established in T&T. However, there is one category of workers that does not fall within the stated industrial relations rubric. They are essential services employees of which prison officers are a part. 

The justification for essential workers not taking industrial action revolves around the critical nature of the services they provide and the need to avoid interruption. If one examines the service provided by the country’s protective agencies, it is apparent that these workers must be highly motivated in order to render the very best service possible given that in the course of their duties lives are at stake. This aspect constitutes the quintessential difference between the non-essential service employees from essential service workers. 

Essential services employees are qualitatively no different to that of other workers as it relates to their right to work in acceptable, safe and humane conditions consistent with the Occupation Health and Safety Act, 2004, and good industrial relations practices. It should be noted that even if an employee in this sector does not have the right to take industrial action, this does not redound to a diminishing of his or her rights as a human being including the right to life. 

According to the Constitution of the Republic of T&T, Chapter 1, entitled, The Recognition and Protection of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Part 1, Rights Enshrined: “It is hereby recognised and declared that in T&T there have existed and shall continue to exist, without discrimination by reason of race, origin, colour, religion or sex, the following fundamental human rights and freedoms, namely: (a) the right of the individual to life, liberty, security of the person and enjoyment of property and the right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law.” 

As such, it is the management (and by extension the State) of these organisations that have a greater “Duty of Care” to ensure that proper systems are put in place to ensure that their employees’ rights in the workplace are not compromised since these employees cannot agitate for improvements for themselves. Management must strive to find the right balance between creating quality conditions in the workspace and ensuring workers rights are protected.  

In a judgment handed down by Justice Carol Gobin in 2009 which involved a case where a prisoner sued the State, it was stated that “the court heard (in that case) and saw evidence of the squalid, fetid and appalling prison conditions. A site visit was conducted and it was found that the treatment endured by the prisoner within the remand compound of the Port-of-Spain prison could easily be held to have crossed the threshold of cruel and inhumane treatment in any context.”  

It must be borne in mind that prison officers work in and endure the same inhumane conditions as that of their charges. Thus, administrators of essential service organisations need to urgently provide the required resources necessary for workers to function at their full capacity. Management should embrace the officers’ view as a different and necessary alternative that may be required for positive change in the prison. Adopting this approach, may hold the key to keeping officers motivated to perform at higher standards. 

If the conditions of work for prison officers improve, so too, the conditions that inmates live in will improve. This can assist tremendously in the rehabilitative process for prisoners and the restorative justice model adopted by the prison service. Importantly, society also stands to benefit altogether. It’s a win-win situation to go after!  

Possibly the time has come to change the dynamic to give essential workers some official channel or recourse for their grievance where there is none. For example, if an issue is not dealt within a reasonable time by the authorities, it may be referred to some entity for resolution so that workers can feel that there is some form of redress available to them. The role of the Industrial Court is essential here as well. 

The constant fluctuations and changes in the 21st century mandate that we must purge ourselves of the old ways of thinking. Holding on to such modalities may drive our social institutions to be irrelevant. More than ever, there is an urgent need for a fresh way of looking at old problems if we are to strategically position T&T in the new geopolitical alignment as a leader in its own right.  

THORNHILL: Theresa a.k.a “T.T.” of 14 Oleander Drive, Pleasantville,  San Fernando passed away on July 20th, 2015 at the age off 87. She was the daughter of the late Percy & Virginia Thornhill. Mother of Abasewolu Khalabi (Carlyle), Carol Modeste & Stephanie Davey. Mother-in-law of Samuel Modeste.

Grandmother of Marlon & Maria Modeste, Chivon & Ni-hilet Thornhill, Michelle Clarke, Lesley Cooper & 8 oth-ers. Great grandmother of 15. Sister of Olga Charles, Mar-jorie Olliviere, Errol Thornhill & 3 others deceased. Aunt of Franka Andrews, Marva Mitchell, Annette Samuel, June Charles, Gemma Lewis & many others.

​Relative of the Goodridge family. Friend of the Williams family & many others. The funeral ser-vice of the late Theresa Thornhill will take place on Friday 24th July, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Pro Cathedral Our Lady of Perpetual Help R. C. Church Harris Promenade, San Fernando thence to Par-adise Cemetery, San Fernan-do. Enquiries can be made at J. E. Guide Funeral Home Ltd. 120 Coffee Street, San Fer-nando 652-4261 or 657-5465.

GRANT: STEVE of #6 Theresa Street, Marabella passed away on July 22nd, 2015 at the age of 69.He was the Husband of Shirley. Father of Max, Dwight, Tiffany, Nancy, Renaldo & the late Ryan. Grandfather of Eleven (11). Brother of Kurt, Joanne & the late Rose Marie.Relative of the Crawford, Grant, Abdool & Samuel families.

​ Close friend of Mervyn Coudray, Kenneth Taitt, Kelvin White, Eroll Hudlin, Charles Francis & Samuel Martin.Friend of Many.The funeral service of the late Steve Grant will take place on Monday 27th July, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the Revival Time Assembly, #1 St. Vincent Street, San Fernando followed by Private Cremation at J. E. Guide Funeral Home & Crematorium Ltd., #120 Coffee Street, San Fernando.

TELEMAQUE, DONNA Mother of Rickeisha Smally Yankee, Joseph Baird, Prince, Krystal and Halien. Sister of Ricardo, Pandora Telemaque, Michelle, Annmarie, Boy B, Steve, Nigel, Shawn, and Dexter. Adopted Daughter/Niece of Althea Creese Durant. Niece of Catherine Perez King. Cousin of Cleo Durant and Len. Friend of Patsy. Funeral at 11:00 am Monday 24th February, 2014 at Daybreak Assemby, Poinsetta Drive, Coconut Drive, Morvant thence to the Western Cemetery. For enquiries, call C & B 625-1170

The T&T Red Steel will go into battle against the Guyana Amazon Warriors this afternoon, looking to give their fans something to cheer, after all the problems the country underwent yesterday in the face of the prison break in Port-of-Spain.

A huge crowd is expected to show for the second semifinals of the 2015 Hero CPL T20 tournament which will pit the Red Steel against the Warriors with a place in tomorrow’s finals at stake.

Dwayne Bravo’s men lost their last preliminary round match to the Warriors in Guyana but come today he is ready for revenge. “They were all saying that the Tallawahs would have defeated us in this match because they are afraid to meet us on home turf. We have dealt with them already here and we are going to do it again this season. The boys are really confident, it is going to be a tough battle but we want to give our fans something to cheer about.

“The battle between the two teams is always a good one and this time around it is expected to be the same. Darren (Bravo) is in good form and we are hoping that he and the other batsmen come good for us and give the bowlers something to work with. We have the best bowling attack in the competition and we are going to come hard at the Warriors.

Who ever wins this clash will play Barbados tomorrow at the same venue at 4.30 pm.

TEAMS

T&T Red Steel: Dwayne Bravo (capt), William Perkins, Cameron Delport, Kamran Akmal, Jacques Kallis, Yohan Botha, Darren Bravo, Samuel Badree, Derone Davis, Miguel Cummins, Javon Searles, Jason Mohammed, Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Mark Deyal, Kevon Cooper. Head coach Simon Helmot, assistants David Williams and Imran Jan.

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Lendl Simmons, Umar Akmal, David Wiese, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Devendra Bishoo, Marchant de Lange, Assad Fudadin, Trevon Griffith, Brad Hodge, Shemron Hetmeyer, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul and Paul Wintz.  

At the end of the match Morgan Bravo stood at the pavilion gates a pleased man, greeting well wishers as both his sons played important roles and in the process took the T&T Red Steel to the second semi-finals of the 2015 Hero CPL T20 tournament at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday night.

Firstly younger son Darren Bravo slammed an imperious unbeaten 84 to lead the Red Steel to a competitive 152/6 off their allotted 20 overs. Dwayne Bravo then stepped up with the ball, returning his best ever bowling performance in T20 cricket, taking 5/23 to stop Jamaica’s easy run to the target. Today the Red Steel returns to the Oval looking to put a revenge licking on the Guyana Amazon Warriors to book a place in the finals against the Tridents tomorrow.

At one stage the Jamaicans were sitting pretty at 97/2 in the 14th over but Bravo induced a slide that saw them lose their last eight wickets for just 28 runs. The ‘World Boss’ Chris Gayle had given his team a rapid start, hammering 30 off 21 balls with three sixes and two fours. He was cut short by the clever off-spin bowling of Johan Botha. The struggling Mahela Jayawardene was then very unlucky to be given out caught at slip after replays showed that the bad hit is upper arm. He left at 66/2 but Chadwick Walton using forthright methods, found a similar ally in Jermaine Blackwood and they again took the game away from the Red Steel. Bravo then removed Blackwood for 23 off 22 balls and at this point wickets starting falling regularly and the game swung decisively in favour of the home team. Walton made 31 off 30 balls but that was really the only thing to write home about. Andre Russell was bowled neck and crop by Bravo and with him went the hope of the Tallawahs.

Earlier, Dwayne Bravo won the toss and decided to bat first, which has become customary from all captains in this tournament. However, within the ‘powerplay’ he would have rued his decision, as his team lost three quick wickets with just 18 runs on the board. 

Cameron Delport opening the innings was bowled by Krishmar Santokie, the ‘big fish’ Jacques Kallis was caught off Jerome Taylor for six and Kamran Akmal also fell to Taylor for six. The big crowd on hand was kept very quiet as the Tallawahs were on the attack. Sensible batting was what the doctor prescribed and it came in the form of Darren Bravo and Jason Mohammed.

Using their experience to full effect, they were able to turn over the strike and most importantly put away the bad balls. As the fans consumed their choiced beverages, they started to get louder and there was reason to, as runs started to flow.  The two added 80 runs off 10.1 overs before Mohammed fell for 28 off 25 balls, which included a six and two fours. Darren was still there to carry the hopes of his team and his brother Dwayne arrived. Normally they bat well together but Dwayne left Darren to do the job, as he walked back to the dugout for five. Darren did do the job and batted until the end, getting an unbeaten 86 off 63 balls with six sixes and four fours. This followed his unbeaten 80 and 40 at this venue last week.

SCOREBOARD

Red Steel vs Tallawahs

J Kallis  c Russell b Taylor    6

C Delport   b Santokie    1

K Akmal    c Jayawardene b Taylor    6

DM Bravo    not out    86

J Mohammed  c Bonner b Deonarine    28

DJ Bravo      c Lynn b Miller    5

K Cooper      c & b Russell    9

J Botha         not out    1

Extras       1lb, 9w    10

Total    for six wkts (20ovs)    152

Fall of wkts: 3, 7, 18, 98, 121, 137.

Bowling: K Santokie 4-0-31-1, J Taylor 4-0-28-2, A Russell 4-0-30-1, N Deonarine 4-0-31-1, N Miller 4-0-31-1.

Tallawahs Inns

M Jayawardene   c Kallis b Benn    16

C Gayle         c & b Botha    30

C Walton      b Cooper    31

J Blackwood   c sub Searles b Bravo    23

A Russell       b Bravo    6

C Lynn         b Cooper    3

N Deonarine   c Delport b Bravo    5

N Bonner      b Bravo    7

K Santokie    c Delport b Bravo    0

J Taylor       b Kallis    2

N Miller      not out    1

Extras    lb1    1

Total  all out (19.3ovs)    125

Fall of wkts: 38, 66, 97, 106, 110, 111, 117, 122, 122, 125. 

Bowling: J Kallis 2.3-0-17-1, D Bravo 4-0-23-5, J Botha 2-0-14-1, S Benn 3-0-29-1, S Badree 3-0-14-0, D Davis 1-0-6-0, K Cooper 4-0-21-2.

Result: T&T Red Steel won by 27 runs.

T&T Red Steel plays Guyana in second semi-final.

Man of the match: Darren Bravo.

Keshorn Walcott and Mikel Thomas carried T&T’s medal count to six when they won gold in the Javellin and silver in the Men’s 110m hurdles respectively during the Pan American Games at the CIBC Athletics Stadium in Toronto yesterday.

Walcott continued his successful season when he topped the field with a 83.27m throw off his second attempt. Despite being well short of his national record of 90.61m, set earlier this month at Lausaunne Diamond League, it was enough to fend off the challenge of American silver medallist Riley Dolezal, who managed 81.62m in his fourth throw. Brazillian Julio De Oliveira secured the bronze with an 80.94m hurl while T&T’s Shakeil Waithe (73.21m) placed 12th.

It marked T&T’s 10th gold medal at any Pan Am Games, going back to weightlifter Rodney Wilkes in Buenos Aires in 1951.

Meanwhile in the Men’s 110m Hurdles final, 27-year-old Thomas ran a personal best of 13.17 to finish behind American David Oliver, who won the gold with a new Pan Am record of 13.07. Bajan Shane Brathwaite secured the bronze in 13.21. Thomas’s previous personal best had been 13.19 set in Florida two years ago. In his heat, he had placed second to Brathwaite in 13.44.

With the addition of Walcott and Thomas’s medals, T&T currently ranks 15th of 29 countries at the Games. The pair joined shot putter Cleopatra Borel (gold),  400m specialist Machel Cedenio (silver) sprint cyclist Njiane Phillip (silver) and swimmer George Bovell (bronze) on the country’s medal list.

In other events, Elton Walcott was ninth in the Men’s Triple Jump final with a distance of 16.15 metres. Cuban Pedro Pichardo won the gold in 17.54m, followed by Leevan Sands (16.99m) and Ernesto Reve (16.94m).

T&T’s men qualified for the Men’s4x400m final with a third place showing in their semifinal. The quartet of Machel Cedenio, Lalonde Gordon, Emanuel Mayers and Renny Quow came in a season’s best of 3:01.58 to finish behind Bahamas (3:01.00) and Cuba (3:01.17). The final will be run at 10:10pm tonight.

The Women’s 4x400m team also qualified for its final with a fourth place finish in its semi. Alena Brooks, Jessica James, Josanne Lucas and Sparkle McKnight clocked a season’s best of 3:31.21, coming in behind USA (3:26.40), Jamaica (3:30.29) and Canada (3:30.61).

The final is scheduled for 9:45 pm today. Reyare Thomas placed seventh in the Women’s 200m final in a time of 23.32. American Kaylin Whitney won the gold in 22.65 while her teammate Kyra Jefferson (22.72) and Jamaican Simone Facey (22.74) took silver and bronze respectively.

Last night, T&T was set to take off in the semifinals of both the Women’s 4x100m and the Men’s 4x100m.

Today’s action will also see T&T’s men’s field hockey team take on Cuba in a 7th-8th place playoff while cyclist Emile Abraham will enter the Men’s Road Race final.

Men’s Javelin

Keshorn Walcott (T&T) – 83.27m

Riley Dolezal (USA) – 81.62m

Julio De Oliveira (Bra) – 80.94m

12. Shakeil Waithe (T&T) - 73.21m

Men’s 110m Hurdles Final

David Oliver (USA) – 13.07

Mikel Thomas (T&T) – 13.17

Shane Brathwaite (Bar) – 13.21

Greggmar Swift (Bar) - 13.28

Jhoanis Portilla (Cub) - 13.30

Yordan O'Farrill (Cub) - 13.36

Tyler Mason (Jam) - 13.69

Jonathan Cabral (Can) - 14.07

Women’s 200m Final

Kaylin Whitney (USA) – 22.65

Kyra Jefferson (USA) – 22.72

Simone Facey (Jam) – 22.74

Angela Tenorio (Ecu) – 22.88

Kerron Stewart (Jam) – 23.07

Kimberly Hyacinthe (Can) – 23.28

Reyare Thomas (T&T) – 23.32

DNF. Anthonique Strachan (Bahamas)

On July 16, the 2015 T&T Table Talk Food Award judges held a tasting to judge local chocolate products from six chocolate makers and chocolatiers. 

Many years have passed since cocoa was king in T&T, however the country is now experiencing a growing cottage industry of artisan chocolate made from local cocoa. 

With the assistance of Destination Chocolate T&T (an affiliation of people, communities and organisations showcasing local chocolates, cocoa products, and chocolate related activities), the Table Talk Food Awards reached out to local chocolate makers and chocolatiers to solicit nominations.  

Table Talk Food Award judges prepared for the judging session by participating in a short chocolate tasting training session conducted last week by Destination Chocolate T&T.

Dianne’s Tea Shop in Maraval graciously hosted the blind tasting judging session, which included dark chocolates and truffles. The shop was the perfect backdrop for the session especially since it carries several local chocolates such as Omarbeans Organic Chocolate and Long’s Chocolate.

The Table Talk Food Awards was launched in 2013 in T&T to recognise and honour the very best in the local restaurant and food industry. Officially recognised as the “Grammy” evening of the food industry in Jamaica, the Table Talk Food Awards concept was brought to T&T by its founder, The Jamaica Observer.

The winner(s) of the Best Local Artisan—Chocolate category for the 2015 Table Talk Food Awards will be announced on August 4 at the awards ceremony at Estate 101, Maraval.

More Info:

The nominees for Best Local Artisan – Chocolate for the 2015 T&T Table Talk Food Awards:

Brasso Seco Chocolate Co

Long’s Chocolate

Omarbeans Organic Chocolate

Sun Eaters Organic

The Lopinot Chocolate Co

Trinidad Chocolate Factory—House of Arendel

You can learn more about Destination Chocolate T&T at https://www.facebook.com/destinationchocolatett

Muntazah, arguably the unluckiest loser of the 2015 turf-flat campaign, attempts to make amends in the nine-runner two year old Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs of the Newmarket July course today; earlier this month Barry Hills’ charge suffered tremendous interference over this course and distance and yet was beaten only a head!

Even now it’s difficult to comprehend what happened but it did and videos are available to prove and view the farce!

After travelling comfortably Muntazah went for a gap about 300 yards out between two leaders when both veered toward each other, the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned colt became a proverbial ‘meat in the sandwich!’

Amazingly, after being halted and slowed from about forty miles an hour to no more than twenty, Muntazah picked up in dramatic fashion, stormed home but, ironically, was beaten by fast-finishing, Paul Hanagan-ridden Manaafidh, in the same colours; unbelievable.

Hills was phlegmatic, he’s obviously mellowed and earlier this week stable-companion Massaat was probably the second unluckiest loser this season. Reaction from the 78-year-old veteran was similar but he knows both are exceptional juveniles which should aspire to graded level during the back-end period and if they are good enough he’ll sort it.

Of course price-wise Muntazah will start at cramped odds to go one better but he’s unopposable. I’m very much looking forward to this race and many others involving two-year-olds currently being trained exclusively for the Dubai Finance Minister who, apparently, owns more than 400 superbly-bred thoroughbreds.

It’s an exciting period and ‘Glorious Goodwood’ kicks-off next Tuesday!

Also at HQ Orvar is clear ‘best-in for the five-runner 2-y-o Conditions stakes over six furlongs on the back his creditable fifth in the group two ‘Coventry’ at Royal Ascot last month; others can be expected to improve but they will need to find at least a stone! 

Golden Horn will be long odds-on to retain his unbeaten record when facing eight rivals in the group one King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over twelve furlongs at Ascot; there should be some each-way value with three places available. Hundreds of other serious punters will be thinking similarly. 

In fact only two places will be at issue, Golden Horn will win and occupy one of them but that hardy Andre Fabre-trained Flintshire, rated 121, will surely be ‘in the frame’ because his solid career record, at the highest level internationally, bears close inspection. 

It would have been silly to immediately come forward and comment on the display at the stadium in Georgia when Mexico met Panama for a place in the Gold Cup final.

Given my experience watching these teams ply their trade within the region, I would have made an early comment on the physical trend of the game.

When the game started, I felt Mexico was short of its natural possession fluidity and it seemed unready for the speed of the Panamanians. Predictable interceptions by the Panamanians to regain the ball were a major feature of their game.

But this expected chemistry was suddenly distorted by some tough (but apparently fair) tackles as the Panamanians attempted to disorient the skillful Mexicans, whose midfield did not have the creative ability we have witnessed from their team over the years.

They had fought a good battle and appeared solid in midfield during the 4-4 draw against T&T.

Suddenly, the referee made his first move by laying a visible challenge to a Mexican defender and Torres of Panama for what appeared to be fighting for good positional play when corners were taken on both ends.

Yes, there was an obvious degree of aggression without breaking the rules. The tension rose and the intensity of tackles increased.

The referee seemed unsettled by the constant challenges of players every time he blew his whistle.

The human side of the American official came into focus and he started blowing for the infringements as he saw them.

Clearly, some decisions were not properly seen by the fans, but it was truly disappointing to see retaliation coming from players, unfortunately more from Panama than Mexico.

The eventual ejection of Panama’s Quintero jolted the fans from the Panama Canal and brought about some despicable behavior from the red card recipient.

Admittedly, the foul appeared to be worth nothing more than a yellow card.

From then onward, we witnessed the courage of the Panamanians, whose performance with 10 players was encouraging to watch, not only because of their success in creating good defensive methods over a long period.

The American referee Mark Gelger appeared to be somewhat apprehensive when making certain decisions, especially when the reaction of the crowd lent itself to unfair play by the ref.

10 yellow cards equally shared was another issue, as a number of the players receiving the cards were now ineligible for the finals.

Late in the game, it certainly appeared that the referee’s reluctance to blow for certain fouls would invite more red cards and maybe more mayhem among members of both teams, who were literally ready to run onto the field for any unusual decisions.

In the final analysis, amidst the tension which already existed, two Panamanian defenders, both of whom recognised a dangerous goal scoring situation, desperately threw themselves to avoid a probable goal. A penalty was awarded and then converted into the winning goal.

The moral of this episode was that the game suffered because of poor official decisions, which brought about players’ challenges and anger among fans.

The Mexicans were given four yellow cards, with two players being barred from the final.

What was even more disturbing were the comments made by some television announcers regarding this diabolical fiasco.

The game was the loser and the less said the better.