After years of setbacks, the Scrap Iron Dealers Association is hoping to finally turn metal mayhem into a polished future.
This, following its first meeting with the new Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism, Satyakama Maharaj, on Tuesday.
According to the President of the T&T Scrap Iron Dealers Association, Allan Ferguson, the industry once employed over 25,000 people at its peak but in recent years, the sector has been reduced to a fraction of its former self.
He is now expressing optimism and “hope” for a revival of the industry following the meeting with Minister Maharaj.
“We’re going back to some of them things to be able for the industry to catch back up itself and the Minister indicated to us immediately we could work out what we need to make change and send it in immediately.”
Mr. Ferguson indicated that over the years, the industry has been “shackled” by outdated laws and overregulation, but now he believes they’re ready to weld things back together.
“Is because this industry had 163 yards and now we only have twenty-something. We had a hundred, we had about 25,000 people. Everybody could have seen thousands of people was employed with this industry. If you watch five to seven, eight thousand. You watch that and we had mentioned all this to the Minister and we said we need to pull back this industry as how it is and the Minister agreed that. Why are the industry, a billion-dollar industry like this suffering?”
Among the proposals are the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor scrap yards and prevent theft, as well as an oversight Board to ensure transparency and accountability.
“I mentioned a Board where they could be able to monitor what’s going on in the industry. As long as that happens, you’ll find that the problems that we’re having will seek its way and move away from the industry and the industry will be able to run much better than we’re doing now.”
Meanwhile the Regional and International Relations Officer at the Association, Michael Kerr, said this is something both the new Ministry and the Board are in agreement with.
“This is not something that the industry should be begging for, begging for oversight to ensure that there’s transparency. This is something that should come from the Government without us having, of course, to be begging and pleading for it, and he understands that. So again, he shares the vision and again, with his background in business, he understands again quite clearly what has to be done and he’s more than willing to work with the industry.”
Following the talks, Mr. Ferguson said he believes more people will return to the industry.
“When people get this news today, tonight, I am telling you that people will want to come back in the industry because people were waiting for this kind of news to know that it’s going to change with some of the laws that the former administration had, we’re going to get some of the laws moved from this industry and placed with some things that could work, not things that cannot work. I think that’s the direction the Minister chooses to go and I want to thank him for that.”
Mr. Ferguson said the Association is not calling for a full repeal of the Scrap Iron Act but to amend parts of it to make it more effective and fair.
The Association said it intends to submit its recommendations to the Minister within the next 24 hours.