Vente aux enchères de rhums d’exception : plus de 48 000 euros de lots achetés

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Martinique FranceAntilles

La vente aux enchères de rhum très rares, organisée ce samedi 8 juillet à Lakoudigital, a tenu toutes ses promesses. Seuls 2 des 75 lots proposés sont restés invendus.

« La vente a rencontré beaucoup de succès », se félicite Me Hélène Martin, commissaire-priseur de Martinique, quelques jours après la mise aux enchères de rhums martiniquais d’exception, à Lakoudigital. Sous la houlette de Martinique-Enchères et une équipe de 6 personnes pour l’occasion, avec l’appui technique de Lakoudigital, le public s’était déplacé assez nombreux :  des collectionneurs, des curieux, des personnes venues acheter du rhum pour la première fois, des représentants d’une distillerie, du Coderum (qui regroupe les distillateurs de rhum agricole et de distillerie en Martinique)…

Sur internet aussi, cette vente a suscité un grand intérêt avec plus de 150 personnes inscrites pour suivre le direct et environ un tiers réellement connecté, au moment de la vente aux enchères.

« De manière générale, nous avons dépassé les estimations fixées qui étaient, pour la fourchette basse à 26 330 et, pour la fourchette haute, à 35 000 euros », décrit Me Martin.

Finalement, 48 000 euros ont été dépensés pour l’acquisition de 73 des 75 lots mis à la vente.

Jusqu’à 4000 euros la bouteille

Toutes les bouteilles de Saint-James des années 1930 et 1941 ont trouvé preneur. Deux d’entre elles, sont parties à 4000 euros. Sur l’ensemble des lots, ce sont les bouteilles les plus chères achetées samedi.

Les capsules Madkaud, très rares, ont été achetées à 710 euros ; la Marquise de Duquesnes à 850 euros; les rhums blancs Lamauny à 200 euros, le 1er rhum Depaz de 1929 à 1750 euros (estimé entre 1200 et 1250)…

Vente aux enchères de rhum.

– Lakoudigital

25 des 75 lots ont été obtenus par des acheteurs en ligne : parmi eux, des personnes de la Caraïbe, de l’Hexagone ou même de Hong-Kong en Chine. D’autres, identifiés comme domiciliés au Royaume-Uni, en Bulgarie, en Grêce, aux Etats-Unis ou aux Pays-Bas, s’étaient inscrits mais n’ont pas acquis de bouteilles.

Très satisfaite du déroulement de cette vente de rhum – la première réalisée en Martinique hors cadre caritatif -, Me Martin ignore encore si ces enchères de rhum martiniquais en Martinique seront suivies d’autres. L’engouement semble, en tout cas, bien présent.

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Tobago Chamber head: Lifting of mask-wearing mandate long overdue

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

File photo: Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Diane Hadad – Photo by David Reid

Tobago Chamber of Commerce president Diane Hadad says the government’s decision to lift the mandate on the wearing of masks in public is long overdue.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced the move at a covid19 news conference on July 5, saying it would take effect from July 17 (Sunday).

It means people not wearing masks in public will no longer be liable to police action, including fixed-penalty fines.

However, the Ministry of Health issued guidelines on Wednesday advising people to measure their risk when deciding to unmask in certain situations and places.

Under the guidelines, masking will remain mandatory at public institutions. He also said businesses and other entities can still demand that people be masked to access service.

Deyalsingh said the unvaccinated, the immunocompromised (having an impaired immune system), people travelling in public transportation or attending religious services are among those for whom continued mask-wearing in public places and crowded environments is highly recommended.

Hadad, speaking to Newsday on Wednesday, said the government acted responsibly in finally deciding to remove the mandate.

“It was a very responsible decision. Eventually you will feel a level of relief. Not sure why it would have taken so long, but at the end of the day removing it on a Monday and removing it on Saturday really makes no difference. But we will go with the date.”

She said people who may be fearful about doing away with the mask altogether have the right to continue wearing them as they see fit.

“We will also have to look at the other safety risks that have also been shown, based on robberies and violent crime in terms of people having the masks to do so.

“But from a health perspective, I also think it is about time and rightfully so. We need to move on.”

Tobago Business Chamber president Martin George has also welcomed the decision.

“We have to get with the times and keep in step with the rest of the world,” he said in a WhatsApp voicenote.

“The world has moved past covid19. Covid19 is no longer an excuse or a reason to keep business from functioning properly, or from having society carrying out their normal activities.

“So this is quite welcomed news for us as a business chamber and for me, in my capacity as someone who speaks out on these issues publicly, I am happy to hear that.”

Like Hadad, George also acknowledged that many people may wish to continue wearing the masks beyond July 17 for various reasons.

“But to mandate it to continue in public, I think we had reached a point where it was becoming palpably absurd.”

He observed that while thousands of people would be “hugging up, jamming together, wining together, gyrating and talking, shouting, laughing in each-other’s faces without masks, people walking by themselves in the middle of the Queen’s Park Savannah, were expected to wear masks.

“How absurd could it be in a scenario such as that?”

George said people must learn to live with covid19.

“I think this was something that was bound to happen, and we definitely welcome it. As I have said, maybe two years ago, we have to learn live with covid19, we have to learn to die with covid19. That is not something that is going to go away.”

He added, “If you look at even SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which was from years ago, it is still around. It is just not making headlines in a dramatic fashion.

“The fact of the matter is that these things come and they have their time in the spotlight. But after that, we just really have to move on as a society and learn to basically manage ourselves, our own personal health, personal hygiene.”

George urged people to continue to practise basic hygiene and protocols to avoid contracting covid19.

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Guyanese cops complete law enforcement training in El Salvador

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

Four ranks from the Guyana Police Force were taken strategically from different divisions and departments to complete a Law Enforcement and Community Outreach Course at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.

The course was taught over a forty hours period and had students from Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guyana, and El Salvador as participants. The course ran from June 20th to June 24th, 2022.

The four police ranks are Michael Clarke, a Police Sergeant stationed at Mahdia Police Station in Regional Division Eight as the Subordinate Officer in Charge; Julian Griffith, a Police Sergeant stationed at Ruimveldt Police Station Four (A) as the Subordinate Officer in Charge; Woman Police Sergeant Kennie Haney stationed at Police Day Care Centre, Eve Leary as the Subordinate Officer in Charge; and Melissa Rodney-Legall, a Woman Detective Corporal stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Narcotics Branch.

The Guyana delegation comprised a fifth participant: Bibi Rahaman who is attached to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The course instructors were from the FBI: Lorie Campbell, Sharon Mentkowski and Todd Lindren. The ranks were exposed to various topics such as the Importance of Community Outreach, the Role of Law enforcement and Community Outreach, the Role and characteristics of Community Outreach Coordinator, Benefits for law Enforcement Communication Skills, Project Workshop, Admin, Valuing Diversity, Strategies, and Tools for Engagement, Adult Outreach, Strategies for Teen Outreach, Strategies for Outreach for Children, and Developing a Community Outreach Programme or Event.

One of the participants, Sergeant Griffith noted that the course broadened his knowledge and understanding of the importance of community outreaches. He promised to move forward with the newly gained knowledge to aid in the ongoing efforts by the GPF to build unity and partnership between the Police and communities.

“The course was very edifying, we gained a lot of knowledge which will assist us in strengthening our community relationship with the public. So I think that I would have gained a lot, my colleagues and I will share our knowledge and experience with our fellow colleagues,” Sergeant Griffith noted.

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Procesan criminalmente a influencer millonario por evasión contributiva

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Radio Isla TV

La alianza investigativa entre el Departamento de Hacienda y el Departamento de Justicia puso al descubierto el miércoles un nuevo patrón de evasión contributiva de magnitud millonaria por Jorge Christian Batista Agront, un influencer y motivador, con gran cantidad de seguidores en las redes sociales, que le debe a Hacienda cerca de 7.6 millones de dólares, luego de supuestamente incumplir con su deber de reportar más de 11 millones de dólares en sus Planillas de Contribución sobre Ingresos, personales y corporativas, durante los años 2017 al 2022.

“Este es el caso de evasión contributiva más sofisticado que ha visto el Ministerio Público y al mismo tiempo el más desafortunado, porque se refiere a un joven empresario reconocido por los medios como una persona exitosa y un ejemplo a seguir para muchos. El problema es que nos enteramos de los logros de Chris Agront por la prensa y los medios digitales, pero no lo encontramos en SURI. Como he dicho en otras ocasiones, los evasores no le roban al gobierno, sino a la gente, a los asalariados que se levantan en las mañanas para acudir a sus trabajos y cumplen con su responsabilidad contributiva. Ver personas que se hacen llamar ‘empresarios exitosos’ y viven una vida millonaria, pero no hacen intento alguno por cumplir con su responsabilidad contributiva, ciertamente me indigna. Este es el caso de evasión contributiva más sofisticado que hemos presentado y también es un tipo de delincuencia que seguiremos atajando en el Departamento de Hacienda”, manifestó el secretario de Hacienda, Francisco Parés Alicea en conferencia de prensa.

La División de Delitos Económicos del Departamento de Justicia le radicó cinco cargos por no rendir planillas, en violación de la Sección 6030.11 del Código de Rentas Internas; cuatro de ellos por sus planillas personales y uno relacionado con la planilla de su compañía Jettrades. El influencer, quien alega ser experto en el mercado de las criptomonedas, podría enfrentar una pena de tres a ocho años de prisión por cada cargo y una multa de hasta 20, 000 dólares.

La jueza Raiza Cajigas Campbell encontró causa para arresto contra el imputado, quien se allanó a la determinación del Tribunal de San Juan. Se le impuso una fianza global de 100, 000 dólares.

El influencer, quien se identifica como Chris Agront y se mercadea, además, como educador financiero. Este utiliza las plataformas digitales como YouTube, Instagram y Facebook para la venta de cursos titulados “One Day Mastermind” para “crear millonarios” en los que cobra hasta 5,000 dólares por curso. En sus videos, presume su costosa vida, hospedaje en hoteles exclusivos, autos de lujo, ropa de diseñador, joyas, relojes, viajes en jet privado por distintas partes del mundo como Roma, India, Dubái, Europa, Australia, Sahara, entre otros. Además, este resalta que gana más de un millón de dólares al mes.

Por su parte el secretario de Justicia, Domingo Emanuelli Hernández, destacó la importancia de procesar este tipo de delitos. “Los delitos económicos le dan un golpe mortal a nuestra isla, especialmente en este momento histórico. Las personas que se lucran e incumplen con su responsabilidad contributiva afectan a otros ciudadanos vulnerables que no cuentan con los recursos suficientes para tener una buena calidad de vida. Por ello, esta alianza investigativa entre el Departamento de Justicia y el Departamento de Hacienda cobra mayor importancia. Continuaremos combatiendo la evasión contributiva y procesando este tipo de casos de alto perfil, de personas de amplio poder adquisitivo que no pagan al fisco lo que por ley les corresponde, afectando los servicios del pueblo puertorriqueño”.

Bajo este patrón de incumplimiento, el creador de contenido como “Mi Primer Millón”, “Yo me hice en Puerto Rico” y “Compré $70,000.00 en zapatos y prendas en un día”, dejó de reportar al Departamento de Hacienda ingresos ascendentes a 5,487,101 dólares en su carácter como individuo, y en cuanto a la compañía de responsabilidad limitada, Jettrades LLC, la cantidad de 5,687,098 dólares.

“Incluyendo las multas y penalidades, el imputado adeuda al erario aproximadamente 4,526,216 dólares en su carácter individual y 3,094,349 dólares por su corporación, para un alrededor de 7.6 millones de dólares”, informó la fiscal Deborah Rodríguez Ortiz, quien lidera la investigación por parte del Ministerio Público, junto al agente del Departamento de Hacienda, Ricardo Cruz Candelario.

Además, surge de la pesquisa iniciada en el Área de Inteligencia de Fraude Contributivo de Hacienda, que Batista Agront posee dos vehículos lujosos a su nombre. Uno de los vehículos es una Mercedes Benz G550 del año 2021, con un valor de 239,884 dólares, y una guagua Lamborghini Urus del año 2020, con un valor de 349,599 dólares para un total de 589,483 dólares.

El imputado también tiene tres propiedades inmuebles rentadas en los municipios de Dorado, San Juan y Cayey.

“Recomiendo a las personas que no estén cumpliendo con sus obligaciones contributivas, que eviten caer en situaciones como esta, acogiéndose a nuestro Programa de Divulgación Voluntaria. El Departamento no referirá a Justicia para procesamiento criminal a contribuyentes que hayan incumplido con sus obligaciones fiscales, si hacen una divulgación voluntaria de los ingresos, partidas, transacciones, eventos, planillas, formas, certificaciones, informes o contribuciones no divulgados o debidamente presentados, que provocaron su incumplimiento con sus obligaciones fiscales”, añadió el secretario de Hacienda.

La vista preliminar fue señalada para el 28 de julio.

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Sean Paul, Gwen Stefani, Shenseea Drops Retro Dancehall ‘Light My Fire’ Video

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Sean Paul, Gwen Stefani, and Shenseea dropped a retro dancehall session music video for “Light My Fire” on Wednesday. In[Read More…]

The post Sean Paul, Gwen Stefani, Shenseea Drops Retro Dancehall ‘Light My Fire’ Video appeared first on Urban Islandz.

Freinage brutal d’un BHNS à Fort-de-France : sept passagers légèrement blessés

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Martinique FranceAntilles

7 passagers du TCSP ont été légèrement blessés ce mercredi matin (13 juillet), après un accident ayant impliqué un Bus à Haut Niveau de Service (BHNS), vers 9h20 à Fort-de-France.

Pour éviter un obstacle, le conducteur d’un Bus à Haut Niveau de Service a dû effectuer un freinage d’urgence, ce matin, au niveau de Kerlys, sur la voie du Transport en Commun en Site Propre (TCSP), avenue Maurice Bishop à Fort-de-France.

Une action qui a projeté plusieurs passagers vers l’avant. Les pompiers, appelés à la suite de cette manœuvre, ont pris en charge sept passagers, légèrement incommodés.

Quatre ont été plus sérieusement touchés (douleurs au dos, au genou…) et ont dû être acheminés au CHU de Martinique pour des examens de contrôle. 

La RTM dénonce des « actes d’incivilité »

Dans un communiqué, la Régie des Transports de Martinique dénonce le refus de priorité d’un automobiliste ayant conduit à ce freinage d’urgence, d’autant que le véhicule, à l’origine de « cet acte d’incivilité routière », a pris la fuite.

La RTM indique que, depuis le début de l’année, déjà 7 accidents de la circulation ont eu lieu à cause des comportements d’automobilites dont certains n’hésitent pas à emprunter les voies du TCSP.

Et de rappeler que les voies du TCSP ne peuvent être empruntés que par les véhicules autorisés.

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Massy CEO apologises for price label error –’Let baigans be bygones’

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

ALL AN ERROR: The photo of a baigan priced at $74 at a Massy Stores outlet which caused a firestorm when it was posted to social media on Tuesday. The company explained on Wednesday that a price label error was what really took place. –

AN ERROR on the part of staff led to the incorrect labelling of a melongene at a Massy Stores branch earlier in the week according to Massy Stores CEO Roxanne de Freitas on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a photo of a melongene for sale at a Massy Stores branch with a price tag of $75, was circulated on social media.

Users ridiculed the supermarket chain and questioned how they arrived at this exorbitant price for the vegetable.

Speaking with reporters after the opening of Massy Stores’s new San Juan branch, de Freitas said she was aware of the issue and added it was due to a mistake while labelling the goods.

She noted the prices on the items were readjusted after it was brought to their attention.

“What happened as soon as it was brought to our attention the products were all removed and the reality is we made a mistake with the pricing on that product. So the product was removed, it was re-priced and replaced.

“At Massy Stores we turn over goods very quickly and very fast so what happens is we would have bought the goods, we would have bought them at a higher price, we would have put them out and I would say we made a mistake on that price.

“It was addressed, the good thing about social media is these things come to light very fast and we can treat with it.

“I would say a mistake was made on the price and we have adjusted the price and yes we are sorry for any distress caused by that, that is certainly not the Massy way of doing business and sometimes like anything else we don’t always get it right.”

De Freitas said she was unable to say how much the melongene was sold for at the moment but noted the produce were priced per kilogram.

She added that while the price on the melongene was incorrect she was aware of the concerns surrounding food prices but noted that the number of different supermarkets in TT acted as a regulator against price gouging.

“I can say to you Trinidad and Tobago has one of the fiercest supermarket industry in the Caribbean if you go around the Caribbean you would see there are much larger monopolies.

“So Massy Stores we have 23 stores and we may be the largest chain but our market is a very fragmented market with many players, so that alone regulates the industry and regulates the competitiveness of the industry.”

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Augustine rubbishes call by Minority Council for apology to senior citizens

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. –

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has described as “rubbish” a call by the Minority Council for an apology to senior citizens.

During his wrap up on debate on the 2022-2023 fiscal package presentation on June 23, at the Assembly Legislature in Scarborough, Augustine said: “We met people in their 70s, 60-something, retired long time, arthritis knocking out their knees and they holding on and we don’t want to put young people there. I made a very firm position – when your contract up, go home and mind grandbabies.”

The statement was made on the heels of a response by Minority Leader Kelvon Morris who, during his contribution, called on the assembly to have a policy of knowledge transfer, giving young people in the workforce a clear pathway.

Morris said people on the verge of retiring should be given the opportunity to be part of a three-year mentorship programme where the senior can mentor the young professionals.

Raising the issue during Tuesday evening’s Minority Report on Tobago Updates, Morris said he believes Augustine was disrespectful to those who served, to the extent that the only role seniors are good for is to go home and mind grandchildren.

“While that has been a Tobago cultural experience and reality, I believe our seniors should be valued or seen in a much more glowing terms than to just be in that condescending way as it was put over.”

He said he was shocked Augustine also spoke of the ailments of senior citizens.

“For someone who is leading the island, I would caution him to be a little more caring – to be a little more respectful to our seniors, to our elders, to those who would have cared for us.

“I am calling on him to make an apology to all persons, all seniors in Tobago and Trinidad because I find that comment was very disrespectful.”

His sentiments were shared by Minority councillor Petal Daniel-Benoit who said she remembers being taught, as a child, to respect her elders and those in authority. She said while she understands the Chief Secretary wants to make opportunities available to young people, it’s not what is done but how it is done.

“You don’t have to speak to our seniors, in a manner that is unbecoming, that is degrading, that is disrespectful. To me, you have to be respectful at all times even if someone would have offended you in whatever way.

In response, Augustine said: “That’s just rubbish. Let’s be very honest. We have a retirement age in this country. We can’t want to give young people opportunities and rob them of it at the same time.

“To everything, there is a season. I’m sure most of our seniors understand the scripture as well. Everything has a season. When your season has come to an end, when your winter has arrived, it is time to gracefully give the opportunity to young people.”

Augustine said he suggested, during the debate, that retirees can be used as consultants.

“We can engage them for not more than one year at a time, but I am firm in my mind that long-term positions within the THA must be reserved for those who are of productive working age, fullstop – end of story.

“It cannot be that we have young Tobagonians who are going abroad to study, who are expanding their horizons and returning home, struggling to find a job, struggling to get an opportunity, and we keep saying to them – ‘Not today, you wait, we’re not finished yet, you wait you’re not ready enough, you wait we can’t do it your way.’”

He added: “I have nothing against the elders, but I am saying, make better use of your retirement. Your retirement plan cannot be the THA.

“The truth is, those who make the most noise are those who benefit from a disadvantageous system, those are the ones making the most noise. But I am firm in my mind that is the right policy, and that is the policy we would go with.”

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Letter: No resurrection for the AFC

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

Dear Editor,

The Alliance for Change feels that by parting ways with the APNU that it can salvage the damage done to the Guyanese people, especially its former members and supporters. But it is apparent that they want to restore their own damaged image. Some within the AFC realised this and as early as 2021 some of the Party’s Executive had received a 17-page proposal which recommended that the AFC leave the coalition with the APNU. Did this proposal come from the financiers of the party?

This proposal was put to the AFC’s National Conference this year and at the end of that Conference it was reported that it was agreed by the new Executive body to break the relationship this year end when the Cummingsburg Accord which came to life on Valentine’s Day 2015 would have come to an end. The voice of the financiers had decisively spoken or so it seemed. According to Mrs Catherine Hughes, the Chairman of the AFC, there will be no renewal and the Party will focus on rebuilding and walking on its own feet and getting back on the ground, however, it will be open to coalescing with other parties.

I could vividly recall that the AFC had proffered many reasons why the coalescing with the PNC was necessary. The main reason being the removal of the ‘corrupt’ PPP/C Government so that Guyana could achieve its full potential, given its huge natural resources. According to Ramjattan, the PPP/C was siphoning off more than 20 per cent from each contract awarded. Guyanese has witnessed that the coalition during its tenure in Office became the most corrupt Government ever and the Reserves, the Consolidated Fund and the Treasury were ruthlessly and repeatedly raped. Corruption became the order of the day and the Auditor General’s Report is replete with factual evidences. The AFC’s Natural Resources Minister, Trotman gave away of our oil patrimony, a ‘legacy’ which the current Government is now bombarded to renegotiate. Where is Trotman? Has he gone back to the PNC mission accomplished? Where were these voices which are so vociferous now? Was the AFC blind at that time? The AFC presided and gave approval to all of these nefarious acts. The AFC even approved all the constitutional breaches which Granger perpetrated.

I could also distinctly recall that the AFC for a number of years after its formation in 2005, repeatedly lambasted the PNC for rigging the elections from 1968 to 1985 and mentioned volumes of the atrocities committed by the PNC. Ramjattan and Nagamootoo were at their oratory best at public meetings and no one would have envisaged that a day would come when these two very persons would dumbly stood by and witnessed for 5 months the barefaced attempts by the PNC to rig the 2020 elections. They became part and parcel of what they had condemned: corruption, cronyism, mismanagement and squander mania, and eventual an attempt to rig an elections. It was all about money and power, never the people and the country. Now that the rigging failed, they are now singing a different tune. Guyanese want to hear the AFC condemning this rigging. But this will never happen.

Now they want to ‘rebuild’. Is this not an admission that they destroyed their founding principles? The AFC wants to ‘walk on its own feet’. Is this not an admission that they were walking with the ‘feet’ of the PNC? The AFC wants to get ‘back on the ground’. Is this not an admission that the AFC have lost contact with their membership and support base? Is this not the ultimate act of betrayal? They enjoyed the corrupt life offered to them by the PNC on a platter completely neglecting the people of this country and nearly plunged this nation into a dictatorship once again and now they are begging for acceptance by the people they trampled on and betrayed. The real Ramjattan and Nagamootoo have been exposed and both being completely pleased with their ignoble acts and omissions, the latter has crept and disappeared into oblivion. They have lost all their ideals and principles which Guyanese had witnessed when they fought the PNC dictatorship.

Those whom they betrayed would like to be given the true reason for the breaking of that unholy alliance with the PNC, but this will never be forthcoming since the main reason is to once again give parliamentary co-operation to the PNC to make this country ungovernable and frustrate the developmental thrust of the PPP/C Government. History is repeating itself. This was what transpired after the 2022 elections and if given that opportunity it will happen again.

The Alliance for Change is not capable of change and it should never be given an opportunity to resurrect. This time the result will be more devastating and catastrophic.

Yours sincerely,Haseef Yusuf

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Letter: Dispute settlement in conduct of labour and Industrial Relations

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton

Dear Editor,

In the field of Industrial Relations, effective means of settlement of labour disputes have evolved through third-party interventions; namely, conciliation/mediation; adjudication by way of arbitration; and labour courts, or other judicial means of settlement.

Since conflicting demands in industrial relations often result in disputes, it is important to utilise effective methods of dispute settlement. These “should aim at peaceful and orderly settlement of disputes, so as to make it unnecessary to resort to strikes and lockouts”, or other forms of industrial action.

Conciliation, mediation, and arbitration are valued dispute resolution methods used in the settlement of industrial disputes, and have special significance for the social partners, Government agencies, and representatives of trade unions and employers. These methods have been frequently and intensively utilised in Industrial Relations, and have been permanently established in many countries with a long tradition and history of success.Conciliation/mediation and arbitration have also been used in the field of International Relations, civil society, family and community relations, and in the commercial world in place of costly and time-consuming litigation.

Frequent and prolonged labour disputes could have a negative impact on industrial growth, economic development, and overall socio-political stability of any country. Effective and improved dispute settlement procedures and machinery are crucially important for the national economy and the general good of the population.

In many countries, the labour relations policy of the state is concerned not only with the settlement of labour disputes through established dispute-resolution machinery, but also with the prevention of disputes. Some states are actively involved in the promotion of improved relations among the social partners and their organisations and institutions.

Conciliation/mediation in industrial disputes, whether it is a dispute of interest or a dispute of rights, is an essential process in the field of Industrial Relations. The conciliation process seeks to encourage disputing parties to discuss their differences with a view to assisting them to develop their own proposed solution as an extension of negotiations.

The Ministry of Labour in the English-speaking Caribbean, as in many other countries, is the principal third party dealing with individual and collective labour disputes, and provides a free, voluntary conciliation service. The Dutch-speaking countries in the Caribbean provide this service through a state-funded independent mediation service.

The ministry or mediation service embodies the concept of non-political conciliation /mediation, and must maintain a role of non-partisan conciliation/mediation if it is to enjoy the confidence of the social partners. It must function with credibility, impartiality, professionalism, and integrity whether or not the service is located within or outside the Ministry of Labour.

From the ILO perspective, “conciliation and mediation are regarded as equivalent terms, referring essentially to the same kind of third-party intervention to promote voluntary settlement of disputes”. Technically, conciliation is limited to encouraging employers and unions to develop their own proposed solutions through rational discussion of their differences. Mediation, on the other hand, is a stronger form of third-party intervention, in which the mediator can offer to the parties proposals for settlement of any industrial dispute. In practice, however, the technical distinction is blurred, or disappears, as both words are used interchangeably in some countries to express the same process of third-party intervention. In some other countries, the two words – conciliation and mediation – denote different forms of intervention for voluntary settlement of disputes, in which mediation is the stronger form of third-party intervention than pure conciliation. The Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries use the term “mediation”.

It should be noted that ILO guidelines use conciliation and mediation interchangeably, while at the same time recognising distinct national practices in the use of these words.“Conciliation can be described as the practice by which the services of a neutral third party are used in a dispute as a means of helping disputing parties to reduce the extent of their differences and arrive at an amicable settlement or agreed solution. It is a process of rational and orderly discussion of differences between the parties to a dispute under the guidance of the conciliator.”

“As a process of peace-making in Industrial Relations, conciliation aims to bring about the speedy settlement of disputes without resort to strikes or lockouts, and to hasten the termination of work stoppages when these have occurred. The steps that a conciliator may take to bring about an amicable settlement vary from one country to another, but always the function is to assist the parties towards a mutually acceptable compromise or solution”.The use of the conciliation/mediation service may be required by law, and/or by a collective labour agreement, or at the intervention of the conciliation/mediation service. This is usually the procedure required before resorting to adjudication through arbitration or labour court for final settlement.

In the Caribbean, the conciliation/mediation services are state institutions/state-funded institutions and agencies which provide free services to employers and unions.

Conciliation and collective bargaining

“The practice of conciliation in industrial disputes has developed mainly in connection with disputes arising from the failure of collective bargaining, ie: the negotiations between the parties with a view to the conclusion of a collective agreement. Conciliation has thus been described as an extension of collective bargaining with third-party assistance, or simply as “assisted collective bargaining”.

The ILO uses the following definition for conciliation/ mediation in its training manual: “Conciliation/ mediation is ideally a voluntary process in which the services of an acceptable and independent third-party are used in a conflict as a means of helping the parties to arrive at an agreed outcome”.

The Labour Conciliator is not an arbitrator, and cannot substitute his judgement for that of the parties. The conciliator cannot impose a settlement; it is for the parties to agree to a solution under the guidance and skill of the conciliator, who must maintain a strictly impartial and neutral attitude towards the two parties. The conciliation function requires independent judgement, and a conciliator should not be swayed by external pressures. The conciliator must endeavour to bring about an agreement. However, if it is not possible to obtain agreement, the conciliator should persuade the parties to agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration, or to another procedure for dispute settlement in keeping with the national law or practices in the process of conflict management.

With thanks,Samuel J Goolsarran

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