Workers employed at the Port of Port-of-Spain and the Port of Scarborough should pay attention to the new working arrangements that the Government is finalising under the appearance of a public-private partnership. 

This, after, Public Services Association (PSA)President, Watson Duke confirmed on one of his Facebook live videos yesterday, saying that the Government has already found a business partner, who he says has ties with the present administration for the sale of the ports. According to Duke, in this public-private type of deal the Government will still own the port but will act as a landlord while the tenant will be operating and overseeing the operations on behalf of the Government. 

Nevertheless, Duke warns, “What will also be going is the price of tickets.” He said “The price of tickets will no longer be $100 because under the guise of public-private ownership, where the private partner comes in and runs the whole operations, but the Government remains the owner, what will be happening, they will be telling you that you have to pay more, because they have improved the service.” He added, “The port will be taken away from us and workers will be fired and sent home and the Government will step in as they usually do and say to Tobago that they are doing this for their benefit.” 

Recently, the Government has put into motion a proposal that was in the Finance Minister’s last budget presentation. The proposal stated that by the end of 2021, the Ministry of Works and Transport would introduce a private sector operator in the operations at the ports.