March 21, 2017:
The Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Tourism, met this morning (March 21, 2017) with the President, Secretary General and Executive of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to discuss matters surrounding the imminent dissolution of the Tourism Development Company Limited (TDC). The meeting was held at the Ministry’s offices located at the International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.
Also in attendance at the meeting was Senator the Honourable Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development.
Minister Cudjoe expressed her gratitude to the Union for agreeing to the meeting and apologised for the manner in which the Cabinet decision to dissolve the TDC was communicated to the Union, and more importantly, to the TDC employees. Moreover, Minister Cudjoe clarified that her telephone call to the CWU’s Secretary General prior to the March 9th Post Cabinet Press Conference was intended as an act of courtesy extended to the CWU and not as a form of consultation.
The justification for the dissolution of the TDC, in keeping with Cabinet’s decision, was also shared with the Union. The Communication Workers Trade Union robustly expressed its disagreement and requested a copy of the consultancy report to review the institutional structure and operational framework of the TDC. This report was submitted to the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago in June 2016 and, after months of deliberation, Cabinet agreed: -
- to the dissolution of the Tourism Development Company
- to the establishment of two (2) entities with distinct organisational structures in Trinidad and in Tobago – the organisations to be responsible for tourism destination marketing and product development.
Minister Cudjoe noted that the consultancy report on the TDC would most likely be laid in Parliament and would, then, become a public document.
TDC currently has approximately 114 employees - with both fixed contracts and month to month employment. Minister Cudjoe indicated that all the TDC employees would be treated fairly in accordance with good industrial relations practices.
The Ministry of Tourism and the TDC will continue to engage the Communication Workers Trade Union in discussions regarding the TDC dissolution and will work with the Union in implementing Cabinet decision.
Also present at the meeting with the CWU were:
- Ms. Ethlyn John, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism
- Mr. Richard Duncan, the Chairman of the Tourism Development Company Limited (TDC)
- Mr. Cliff Hamilton, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the TDC
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For further information, please contact:
Manager, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Tourism
Tel: (868) 624-1403 ext. 248