The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) yesterday said it had not yet received some $220 million approved by Parliament a month ago to pay Tobago’s 9,000 daily-paid workers, teachers and other monthly-paid staff their back pay for the period 2008 to 2010.
The THA also said it had not yet received the second quarter tranche of $625 million which was held up at the Ministry of Finance in January, saying it was only released on January 21 the same day as the THA elections.
“Both teachers and daily paid workers have been holding weekly protests in Scarborough over the delay in the payment of their back pay,” the THA release said.
The THA said both Finance Minister Larry Howai and Tourism Minister Stephen Cadiz met with its officials yesterday at Magdalena Grand Resort, Tobago, where THA Chief Secretary Orville London disclosed the disparity.
London also told the ministers that 15 applications have been partially approved or approved for hoteliers to access $40 million in the $250 million Tourism Development Fund for hotel improvement on the island and that Tobago’s ANR Robinson International Airport needed significant revamping and an allocation in the 2014 national budget.
The release said Howai promised to “investigate” the issue as he was “surprised” that the THA had not yet received the money.
Source:trinidadexpress
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