Casino workers want meeting with Govt
THE UNION of Members Clubs and Lottery Workers (UMCLW) wants a meeting with Government to discuss promised employment training and job placement for the workers following the recent passage of a bill to ban slot machines, executive member Cindy Gibbs-Nicholas has said.
She said the union has written letters to various Government ministers requesting a meeting to receive details on the promised employment training and job placement for the workers but they are yet to receive a response.
They had written Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Community Development Minister Joan Yuille-Williams, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Conrad Enill, the National Security Ministry and the Labour Ministry following the passage of the bill.
The Finance Bill 2007 was passed at midnight on Wednesday and, among other measures, it is meant to amend the Gambling and Betting Act to phase out slot machines in casinos and private members clubs.
Gibbs-Nicholas was appointed temporary senator by the Opposition UNC and gave an impassioned contribution to the debate on the bill. She had said that 7,000 people involved in the local gaming industry could lose their jobs because of the legislation.
"We continue to be very dismal about this whole thing," she said.
On the management side the Association of Members Clubs of Trinidad and Tobago said in a statement on Thursday that Prime Minister Patrick Manning had promised discussions with the AMC.
These were being held with the Minister in the Ministry of Finance Conrad Enill whom the association described as always "frank and honest" and "representing the position of the government and listening to suggestions for regulation of the industry".
The AMC noted that Government had received a draft report by the Kairi Consultants Ltd on the industry and they awaited the official response to the draft report by the minister before delivering the final report.
The AMC also pointed out that it had long agreed on a moratorium on opening new clubs.
The group said that not all members clubs were members of the association, including several foreign companies.
"These foreign controlled groups have continued to import slot machines and open new clubs during this moratorium," they stated. |
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