June Salaries for Port-of-Spain Workers Hinge on Mid-Year Budget Amid Financial Crisis and Maxi Taxi Protests

Port-of-Spain Mayor, Chinua Alleyne, has announced that the fate of June salaries for corporation workers hinges on the Mid-Year Budget Review, scheduled for June 15. This comes as the city’s corporation has exhausted its available funding for staff salaries as of the end of May, placing the capital city’s workforce in a precarious financial situation as the fiscal year progresses.

A recent report delivered by the Chief Executive Officer and the City Treasurer paints a stark picture of deficits across several critical financial line items. Salaries and Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) are most prominently affected. In response, the corporation is seeking emergency intervention from the central Government.

They have made a formal request to the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government for additional funding, timed with the forthcoming budget review. Alleyne confirmed that municipal executives remain in ongoing dialogue with government officials, eagerly awaiting the outcome of their submissions.

Compounding the capital’s challenges, recent maxi taxi protests have resulted in severe disruptions, stranding thousands of commuters and directly affecting the city’s daily operations. The strike not only impacted municipal staff but also hit the local economy hard. Port-of-Spain, which hosts an estimated 250,000 workers and shoppers daily, saw a drastic drop in city footfall, adversely affecting commercial businesses.