Sept 30th, 2016 – T&T CHAMBER INITIAL RESPONSE TO THE FISCAL PACKAGE 2017 NATIONAL BUDGET
In an immediate review of the Fiscal Package 2017, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been left with mixed reactions to this year’s budget presentation.
We acknowledge, firstly, the Minister’s attempt to address several long-standing issues that have been recurring over time…
Oct 5th, 2015 – T&T CHAMBER PRESENTS INITIAL REACTIONS TO 2016 NATIONAL BUDGET
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce acknowledges that the Minister of Finance has had limited time to prepare the National Budget 2015-2016, presented in Parliament today. We therefore look forward to…
Sept 8th, 2015 – T&T CHAMBER CONGRATULATES NEW GOVERNMENT
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce joins the national community in congratulating Dr. the Honourable Keith Christopher Rowley and the People’s National Movement on their victory in the General Elections yesterday. More specifically, we extend best wishes to Prime Minister-designate Dr. Rowley, as he prepares to take up the mantle of leadership in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
August 29th, 2015 – T&T CHAMBER CEO RESTING COMFORTABLY AFTER MEDICAL PROCEDURE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce wishes to advise that Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Catherine Kumar, will be out of office on extended leave, following a successful medical procedure yesterday…
August 12th, 2014- TT CHAMBER ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL 2014
The Chamber believes that those holding public office must practice good governance, accountability, transparency and effective representation. Having viewed most of the Debate yesterday into this morning (August 11 + 12) on the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2014,
July 28th, 2014 – CHAMBER VIEWS ON THE LIFE SPORT PROGRAMME
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has attentively followed the reported allegations of misconduct within and mismanagement of the Life Sport Programme over the last few weeks.
July 25th, 2014 – JOINT STATEMENT -PRIME MINISTER , ACT NOW
The Private Sector Civil Society Group (PSCSG) is deeply concerned that the significant progress made on the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Bill is in danger of lapsing.
June 27th, 2014 – SHUTDOWN OF IMMIGRATION OFFICES
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce once again views with dismay the news that the Immigration Office at San Fernando now joins its Port of Spain counterpart in being shut down by the Public Services Association for an indeterminate length of time.
June 23rd, 2014 – JOINT CHAMBER GROUP ON PENSION AMENDMENT BILLS
The following Chambers – the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Service Industries, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (the Joint Chamber Group) – are calling on all arms of the Legislature to carefully consider their decision while debating the Judges Salaries and Pensions Amendment Bill and the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) Bill.
June 13th, 2014 – CHAMPIONS OF BUSINESS
On June 9, 2014 the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce launched its Champions of Business Awards Ceremony – the rebrand of its Business Hall of Fame. This comes as the Chamber celebrates its 10th year of hosting the event.
The Champions of Business Awards Ceremony will be held on October 17, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency.
June 2nd, 2014 – FOREIGN EXCHANGE SHORTAGE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has noted that the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago has made several injections of foreign exchange into the markets over the past few months – the latest being US$200MM last week.
May 16th, 2014 – CHAMBER VIEWS ON SHUT DOWN OF GOVERNMENT OFFICES
The targeted shut down of Government offices being conducted by the Public Services Association has caused disruption and inconvenience to business operations and members of society. While gaining some comfort in the re-opening of the offices of the Immigration Division…
May 15th, 2014 – CHAMBER HELPS FIND SOLUTIONS TO US$ FOREIGN EXCHANGE SHORTAGE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce believes that the time is now to collaborate on a solution for the perennial challenge being experienced by the business community in obtaining US currency…
May 5th, 2014 – CHAMBER VIEWS ON DANA SEETAHAL, S.C. MURDER AND NATIONAL CRIME SITUATION
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce expresses its unreserved shock over the brazen, execution-style murder of Dana Seetahal, S.C. We firstly send our condolences to the Seetahal family. We join the rest of the national community in our deep sadness over Ms Seetahal’s murder…
March 26th, 2014 – CHAMBER ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is pleased to announce that Mr. Moonilal Lalchan has been elected for a second consecutive term as President of the Chamber. Mr. Lalchan was announced as new President 2014-2015 at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday 26 March, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency…
March 21st, 2014 – TOBAGO PRESS RELEASE
The announcement by the Tobago House of Assembly’s Tourism Secretary, Tracy Davidson-Celestine, that Virgin Atlantic Airlines will no longer be serving the air route from Tobago, notably not for the first time, is one which greatly concerns the Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce…
March 16th, 2014 – TOBAGO DIVISION ELECTIONS
The Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce held its Annual General Meeting on Monday 17 March, 2014 at the Division’s offices in Scarborough, Tobago, where Ms. Diane Hadad was elected, unopposed, for a second term as Chairman of the Division…
January 20th, 2014 – CHAMBER VIEWS ON THE $.6B DRUG FIND
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is deeply concerned with any practice that allows any illegal substance to be shipped from our shores, which would, of course, affect our ability to do legal business with…
Sep 9th, 2013 – CHAMBER RESPONDS TO 2013-2014 BUDGET
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is generally pleased that the Minister of Finance has delivered a National Budget in a concise manner…
Sept 5th, 2013 -CHAMBER VIEWS ON THIRD CABINET RESHUFFLE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce wishes all Ministers well in their Ministerial posts. However, that this is the third Cabinet reshuffle in three years remains of great concern to us
August 16th, 2013 – CHAMBER URGES GOVERNMENT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce urges the Government not to consider the postponement of the Local Government Elections, legally due by October 26 2013…
August 15th, 2013 – CHAMBER VIEW ON RECENT SPATE OF CRIME
Our murder toll for the year now stands at an unacceptable 240 persons killed. The four murders that occurred within a 24-hour period on Wednesday, follows on the heels of another “bloody” 30-hour period just two weekends ago…
June 25th, 2013 – TT Chamber’s views on the THA Budget Presentation 2014
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, through its Tobago Division, has listened attentively to Finance Secretary, Joel Jack, during his maiden Budget Presentation on behalf of the Tobago House of Assembly on Monday 24 June, 2013…
March 15th, 2013 – CHAMBER VIEWS ON DEFENCE (AMENDMENT) BILL 2013
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce continues to be concerned with the current unacceptable crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago, the immeasurable havoc it continues to wreak on the daily lives of all citizens, and, in particular, our economy. We continue to lobby for a holistic approach to combating crime, including short to medium and long term initiatives, with defined measurables to determine success…
January 22nd, 2013 – CHAMBER’S RESPONSE TO THA ELECTION 2013 RESULTS
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce congratulates Mr. Orville London and the People’s National Movement on the victory obtained in yesterday’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Election. We believe that all parties have made a valiant effort in campaigning during this election, and so we take this opportunity to also congratulate the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) and the Tobago Platform of Truth (TPT) for a well-fought campaign…
October 11th 2012 – CHAMBER’S VIEWS ON MINISTER’S STATEMENT THAT PUBLIC RELEASE OF MURDER STATISTICS TO THE MEDIA SHOULD CEASE
The Chamber is deeply concerned by Minister Warner’s statement that crime statistics should not be revealed to the media, as an interim measure for curbing crime. We however commend Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams for quickly restoring the balance between the Constitutional power of the Minister of National Security to direct Government policy and the Commissioner’s statutory power to manage and operate the Police…
October 1st 2012 – CHAMBER PLEASED WITH NATIONAL BUDGET FOCUS, BUT STILL HAS CONCERNS
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is pleased that the National Budget for fiscal 2012-2013 is geared towards “Stimulating Growth, Generating Prosperity”. We believe that in the face of global economic uncertainty, there must be emphasis on economic growth. We applaud the efforts of the Minister of Finance and the Economy to provide some degree of stimulus to achieve this growth in this year’s…
September 19th 2012 – SECTION 34 CONTROVERSY URGES CHAMBER CALLS FOR INCREASED GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY
Over the past week, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been carefully observing the developments and discussions over the issue of the unexpected Proclamation into Law, inter alia of Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act 2011, contrary to what the Minister of Justice promised to the Senate in November 2011…
August 17th, 2012 – CHAMBER ENCOURAGES BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS TO FLOODING DISASTER VICTIMS
As we continue to witness the truly devastating effects of the severe flooding which took place last weekend in Diego Martin and environs, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce extends our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to all who lost lives, homes and belongings…
June 22nd, 2012 – CHAMBER’S VIEWS ON PRIME MINISTER’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF CABINET RESHUFFLE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce wishes all Ministers well in their new Ministerial posts and we hope that each Minister will be able to adapt as quickly as possible to their new portfolios to ensure that the continuity and the business of…
June 4th, 2012 – RE: CHAMBER POSITIVE ON TOURISM INITIATIVES FOR TOBAGO, BUT CALLS FOR NATIONAL ECONOMIC PLAN
The Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is pleased to note the Prime Minister’s announcement over the weekend that approval was given by Cabinet to establish a $250M fund aimed at debt restructuring for Tobago businesses, which can also be accessed by hoteliers in Tobago with fewer than 50 rooms to upgrade their hotels. We believe these approvals are long overdue, as the Division…
May 25th, 2012 – CHAMBER’S VIEWS ON IMMINENT END OF 90-DAY STRIKE ACTION AT TCL
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is of the view that the impasse at Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) has, undoubtedly, had a negative effect on the economy in several areas. Our construction sector, which is a major employer in Trinidad and Tobago, has either had…
May 4th, 2012 – CHAMBER WELCOMES MOVE BY AG TO ADDRESS CALDER HART MATTER
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has always stood for good governance and supports strong governance practices and the enforcement of same, within our State and private enterprises…
March 17, 2012 – UNTENABLE SITUATION AT TCL – CHAMBER CALLS FOR END TO STRIKE ACTION AND DECISIVE ACTION BY MINISTER OF LABOUR
As the strike action by workers of Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) continues through a third week, The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and indeed, the entire community of Trinidad and Tobago, are deeply concerned about the immediate short-term and long-term effect of the strike on, inter alia, employment, business development, foreign exchange earnings, inflation, and the economic growth prospects for the country in general…
March 2, 2012 – CHAMBER LEADS TRADE MISSION TO EUROPE 2012
The 2008 signing of the CARIFORUM – European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was the start of CARIFORUM’s transition from a preferential agreement to a reciprocal trading agreement with the European Union (EU) – one of the largest trading blocs in the world and Trinidad and Tobago’s third largest market…
February 14, 2012 – TT Chamber’s Tobago Division hosts Forum on the implementation of 21st Century Policing Initiative in Tobago
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomes the news that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) will implement its 21st Century Policing Initiative in Tobago in March 2012…
December 29th 2011 – Chamber looks back at 2011, and forward to 2012
As we come to the dawn of a new year, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce wishes to take a moment to reflect on the past year. In 2011, the Chamber spoke on several issues which affected not our membership and by extension the national community…
December 9, 2011 – Chamber calls for more attention to good governance by business/government in 2012
Last week’s release of the Transparency International 2011 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) saw Trinidad and Tobago’s score this year in the
Index fall to 3.2 out of 10 – from 3.6 in 2010. With this in mind, and as the world recognizes International Anti-Corruption Day…
December 6th 2011 – Chamber Welcomes the End to the SoE
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomes the end of the State of Emergency from midnight on December 5, 2011, as declared by the Honourable Prime Minister…
November 7th 2011 – T&T Chamber Welcomes End of Curfew
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomes the immediate end of the curfew on both land and sea, as announced by the Prime Minister during the news conference today (November 7, 2011)…
October 10th 2011 – Chamber Responds to 2011-2012 Budget
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is pleased to see that the government once again utilized the “social dialogue” method to inform the National Budget and that some of the Chamber’s Budget Recommendations have been accepted…
August 22nd 2011 -TT Chamber’s Views On The Limited State Of Emergency
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is pleased to see that the Government has taken decisive action to treat with the recent up-surge in murders and gang violence in the country with the announcement by the Honourable Prime Minister of a Limited State of Emergency…
August 22nd 2011 – Chamber Extends Condolences To The Nation Following The Passing Of National Cultural Icon, Pat Bishop
It was with great sadness that the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce received the news of the passing of one of this country’s cultural icons, Pat Bishop…
August 16th 2011 – Chamber Commends Our Police Force For Exercising Restraint And Reason
Following media reports that showed 70 – 80 percent of our nation’s police officers reported for duty despite yesterday’s call for “rest and reflection” period of labour negotiations…
August 12th 2011 – Chamber Not In Favour Of National Shutdown
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce wishes to reiterate that is not in favour of any shutdown of commercial activity as is being threatened by various labour unions. Any such industrial action could only serve to hurt the country’s fragile economy and damage confidence perceptions. It will negatively impact not…