‘There’s opportunity in crisis’
The T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) can play a role in helping retrenched Petrotrin employees.
Lara Quentrall-Thomas, president, TTCSI, commenting on the restructuring of the state-owned energy company, said: “There is always an opportunity in a crisis but I think we need to be part of that conversation. How will it impact the services sector in south and central Trinidad? What can we do to provide services for those individuals who are being made redundant? Are there job and training opportunities we can provide through our members?”
Quentrall-Thomas said, at present, the issue is too “hot” for the TTCSI to make specific proposals.
“You have to be very careful. If we stick our toe in that cauldron at the moment, people might say we are trying to capitalise on people’s misery. We will probably have to go through Petrotrin rather than the union to offer our services that our members have.”
However, there are services TTCSI members can offer to Petrotrin’s employees.
“Our members have a range of services in training and so on.
There are financial services organisations that can offer financial support. We can help in the area of entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses.
“It is almost impossible to get into another job if you have been at Petrotrin for 25 or 30 years. We can offer investment advice so they do not spend all the money they got in severance at once. The credit unions are our members and they have amazing plans and they can help those individuals in how to spend their money,” she said.
The TTCSI, founded in 2006, is the umbrella body for companies in the services sector. Their main purpose is lobbying and advocacy around that sector and the group’s membership represents a diverse cross section, including business chambers, realtors, cosmetologists, carnival stakeholders, engineers, ICT professionals and credit unions.
Economic contribution The TTCSI wants to play a role in the diversification of the economy, Quentrall-Thomas said.
“We are positioned to be the voice of services and the whole idea behind that is to promote the sector to make sure T&T is more competitive. Our vision is that the services sector will be recognised as vibrant, diverse and internationally competitive. Diversification has been the buzz word since Independence. The last couple of governments have talked about diversification. We believe that diversification is absolutely critical in the services sector.”
The TTCSI’s four key pillars in terms of their vision for the sector include: education and awareness, advocacy and lobbying, export and marketing opportunities and industry standards and regulations.
In meeting the group’s objectives, there have been meetings with officials of the Ministry of Trade, exporTT, InvesTT and other similar bodies.
Quentrall-Thomas said the Government must play its role in helping the sector and building proper infrastructure.
“Many hotels in T&T—bed and breakfasts, tour operators—are exporting their services globally.
They are on websites, they are on Trip Advisor, they are at international expos. We have eco-tourists that come here, we have cultural tourists but we do not get Government support.
“There are tours to the Hanuman statue built around the history of the part of our East Indian community. However, there are no public toilets en route, there are starving dogs on the compound when you go, the toilets are filthy.
There is no signage. These are things the Government has to improve.”
The TTCSI’s job is to highlight what is being done but also to work with the Government, she explained.
Budget expectations The TTCSI submitted proposals to the Ministry of Finance for the budget which will be read on Monday.
“We have done that every year for the last few years,” Quentrall-Thomas said.
“I do not know if the minister reads it or whether it goes straight to technocrats. I do not say it for this minister but for ministers in general. I do not know how loud one has to be to be truly to get heard.”
She said some of the TTCSI’s proposals are in line with what the other business chambers ask for but with more focus on services.
“We also go out to the membership and ask them what they wish to see in the national budget and make it a collaborative effort.”
The TTCSI’s main proposals include: • Focus on e-commerce, an important facilitator for the services sector. Implement e-commerce legislation which will be a boost for start ups who wish to grow their businesses.
• Child care support for working parents, start ups and entrepreneurs.
• Women should benefit from tax breaks.
• Construction of light industrial estates to support the manufacturing and small business sectors.
• Coherence among institutions charged with granting accreditation, such as the National Training Agency (NTA) and the Accreditation Council of T&T.
Lara Quentrall-Thomas, president, TTCSI, commenting on the restructuring of the state-owned energy company, said: “There is always an opportunity in a crisis but I think we need to be part of that conversation. How will it impact the services sector in south and central Trinidad? What can we do to provide services for those individuals who are being made redundant? Are there job and training opportunities we can provide through our members?”
Quentrall-Thomas said, at present, the issue is too “hot” for the TTCSI to make specific proposals.
“You have to be very careful. If we stick our toe in that cauldron at the moment, people might say we are trying to capitalise on people’s misery. We will probably have to go through Petrotrin rather than the union to offer our services that our members have.”
However, there are services TTCSI members can offer to Petrotrin’s employees.
“Our members have a range of services in training and so on.
There are financial services organisations that can offer financial support. We can help in the area of entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses.
“It is almost impossible to get into another job if you have been at Petrotrin for 25 or 30 years. We can offer investment advice so they do not spend all the money they got in severance at once. The credit unions are our members and they have amazing plans and they can help those individuals in how to spend their money,” she said.
The TTCSI, founded in 2006, is the umbrella body for companies in the services sector. Their main purpose is lobbying and advocacy around that sector and the group’s membership represents a diverse cross section, including business chambers, realtors, cosmetologists, carnival stakeholders, engineers, ICT professionals and credit unions.
Economic contribution The TTCSI wants to play a role in the diversification of the economy, Quentrall-Thomas said.
“We are positioned to be the voice of services and the whole idea behind that is to promote the sector to make sure T&T is more competitive. Our vision is that the services sector will be recognised as vibrant, diverse and internationally competitive. Diversification has been the buzz word since Independence. The last couple of governments have talked about diversification. We believe that diversification is absolutely critical in the services sector.”
The TTCSI’s four key pillars in terms of their vision for the sector include: education and awareness, advocacy and lobbying, export and marketing opportunities and industry standards and regulations.
In meeting the group’s objectives, there have been meetings with officials of the Ministry of Trade, exporTT, InvesTT and other similar bodies.
Quentrall-Thomas said the Government must play its role in helping the sector and building proper infrastructure.
“Many hotels in T&T—bed and breakfasts, tour operators—are exporting their services globally.
They are on websites, they are on Trip Advisor, they are at international expos. We have eco-tourists that come here, we have cultural tourists but we do not get Government support.
“There are tours to the Hanuman statue built around the history of the part of our East Indian community. However, there are no public toilets en route, there are starving dogs on the compound when you go, the toilets are filthy.
There is no signage. These are things the Government has to improve.”
The TTCSI’s job is to highlight what is being done but also to work with the Government, she explained.
Budget expectations The TTCSI submitted proposals to the Ministry of Finance for the budget which will be read on Monday.
“We have done that every year for the last few years,” Quentrall-Thomas said.
“I do not know if the minister reads it or whether it goes straight to technocrats. I do not say it for this minister but for ministers in general. I do not know how loud one has to be to be truly to get heard.”
She said some of the TTCSI’s proposals are in line with what the other business chambers ask for but with more focus on services.
“We also go out to the membership and ask them what they wish to see in the national budget and make it a collaborative effort.”
The TTCSI’s main proposals include: • Focus on e-commerce, an important facilitator for the services sector. Implement e-commerce legislation which will be a boost for start ups who wish to grow their businesses.
• Child care support for working parents, start ups and entrepreneurs.
• Women should benefit from tax breaks.
• Construction of light industrial estates to support the manufacturing and small business sectors.
• Coherence among institutions charged with granting accreditation, such as the National Training Agency (NTA) and the Accreditation Council of T&T.