ECA STATEMENT ON PROPOSED NATIONAL DAY OF REST AND REFLECTION It is no secret that our nation continues to face tough economic times. It is therefore the responsibility of every citizen to ensure that decisions on the nation’s economic future are made dispassionately and realistically in all instances. At this time, the ECA urges citizens to remember that a national shutdown of any kind, even for a short period, will further affect T&T’s ability to survive and compete in the global marketplace. Each day of lost economic earnings will inevitably have ripple effects on citizens across the nation. Moreover, the time has come for each and every citizen to take personal responsibility in assessing the effectiveness of the proposed action and its relative impact on our ability to achieve sustained economic viability, national development, and an enhanced quality of life for all our citizens, now and for generations to come. Citizens are also urged to be mindful that employers have no obligation under the law to pay workers who may absent themselves from work without relevant authorisation. The Industrial Relations Act (Chapter 88:01), Section 42:5 does not compel any employer, in the absence of an agreement to the contrary, to pay or compensate any worker who does not report for work on any given working day without required approvals. Given our realities, our main focus at this time must be about securing our nation’s future prosperity by successfully navigating the economic challenges at hand. More than at any other time, our actions as citizens, must be well-informed, collaborative, progressive, productive, and consistent with 21st century approaches for dealing with matters of national significance. -END- For further information, kindly contact: Ronald Ramlogan Public Relations and Research Department Telephone: 675-5873 ext. 242 | E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
