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alexk
Guest
George’s eyes were red with tears as he recalled kissing and bidding his wife and two children goodbye seven months ago as he left for Trinidad in search of work so that he could earn money to send back home to his family.
Sitting in the Trinidad Guardian’s South office, George, 38, through the aid of a translator, said that life was comfortable three years ago when he worked as a technician in Venezuela’s thriving oil industry.
It afforded him a comfortable home in urban Maturin and allowed his children, ages 16 and 15, private school education.
When the depression began to take its toll in Venezuela, his children were transferred to a public school. Venezuelans have been flocking to Trinidad, Colombia, Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina to find jobs and send money and much needed supplies back home.
Fearing victimisation or arrest, George requested that his full name not be used. However, he said it was a story that he wanted to tell.
A week ago, following an agreement with the T&T and Venezuelan governments, 82 Venezuelans were deported. On the instructions of President Nicholas Maduro, a Venezuelan military aircraft landed at Piarco on April 21 and took them back to their homeland.
George recalled that it was early on a Monday morning in September 2017 when he had his last breakfast with his family. It was a sad farewell, as he departed on a three-and-a-half-hour taxi trip from Maturin to Tucupita. After spending the night in a hotel, he boarded a vessel along the Orinoco River on a terrifying four-hour long trip to Cedros.
“I was frightened by the large waves that caused the boat to bounce up and down in the water,” George said.
“I thought the boat would have turned over and we would have drowned. I was also afraid that pirates would attack us. Once I set foot in Trinidad, it felt good to be in the country.”
Despite T&T’s own economic instability resulting in increasing unemployment and slow economic growth, to Venezuelans, the T&T currency was like gold.
Last week, the exchange rate was TT$1 to 7,328 bolivares but on the black market, TT $1 could fetch as much as $33,500 bolivares.
George said most of the companies in Maturin had closed down and for those Venezuelans who still had jobs, the average monthly salary was approximately 1,310,000 bolivares, the equivalent of $178 (TT) or US$26.50.
He said in May 2017, he came to Trinidad but was sent back by the Immigration Department because he did not have enough money and the person who wrote a letter of invitation for him to enter the country was not present during his arrival.
In September, he returned with $2,000 (TT) and had a place to stay with his brother-in-law who was already here.
George, a university graduate, no longer familiar with the trappings of comfort, suffers a fate similar to many Venezuelans illegally working in T&T—that of exploitation. George is in Trinidad legally and while he admits that many of his countrymen are here illegally, he claimed “they’re only seeking a better life.”
Acknowledging that there were some who engaged in crime, he said the majority of Venezuelans visited Trinidad for an opportunity to work so they could buy food.
Goerge explained that while many people may scoff at his illegal work status, he was just doing what he had to in order to send money back to Maturin so that his children could go to school and his wife could feed the family.
He said like many Venezuelans he met in Trinidad, he worked for up to 16 hours a day doing laborious construction work for small wages while locals doing the same job or less were paid appropriately.
He described the disparity in wages as an injustice, saying that the only difference affecting the pay grade was their nationality.
George said: “When I came to Trinidad back in September, I went to stay at a place in Debe where my brother-in-law was already staying and working. It was not difficult to get a job because I began working and staying in the same place. I started off working for $200 a day, from seven in the morning to 11 in the night or later.
“I worked there for two months before I moved to San Fernando with another Venezuelan and we rented an apartment.”
Apart from construction work, which they were hired to do, they are forced to do whatever odds and ends “the bossman” wants them to do such as being a watchman for their homes or businesses, sweeping and washing vehicles.
“I was fed up with the exploitation and wanted better. I started to get work for two and three days a week. We Venezuelans know that we are being paid less than locals for the same jobs, but we need the money so we work,” George said.
‘Feeling safer in Trinidad’
George said many Venezuelans associated with Trinidadians asked them to send the money to their families.
However, he said he preferred to use the direct wireless service available at the banks in Trinidad and Venezuela. Once the money was received, his wife would take up the struggle of finding food as most of the supermarkets were empty.
“There are a lot of contraband food like spaghetti, rice, butter, milk, and corn flour but they’re very expensive,” George said. “The bolivares has no value so it’s only the rich surviving. If you go to the supermarkets, you would see plenty people waiting outside for the workers to throw out the garbage. You would see people eating from the garbage just to get a meal for the day.”
Since coming to Trinidad, George had applied to the United Nations High Commissioner for refugee status which would allow him to live in Trinidad in light of the social, economic, and political turmoil in Venezuela brought on by the severe decline in oil and gas revenues.
He hopes that once his status is ratified, he can bring his family to live in Trinidad. As he spoke about his family, George smiled as he reminisced about the good days, but that soon faded since he does not know when he would see them again. He contends with the weekly phone calls that motivate him to continue working.
George said he felt safer in Trinidad as he can walk through the streets at night while speaking on the phone. Attempting to the do the same in Venezuela could result in robbery, assault, and even death.
Between 150-200 Venezuelans are arriving by sea on a weekly basis, Immigration authorities have said.
CONTRACTOR: ILLS OF AN UNREGULATED INDUSTRY
Former president of the Contractors Association Chris Garcia said that wages for labourers, masons, and carpenters vary based on location, length of work, and skills.
Garcia said the average pay for a mason or carpenter in an eight-hour day was between $350-400 while a skilled labourer would get up to $250-$300.
He said he could not think of a construction job with a work day of 16 hours done by any members of his association.
However, he said there were illegitimate construction companies who would hire immigrants and take advantage.
He said this was one of the problems of an unregulated construction industry.
Section 10 of the Immigration Act
Section 10 of the Immigration Act states that no person other than a citizen, a resident or person entering T&T to engage in gainful occupation for one period not exceeding 30 days in every 12 consecutive months, shall engage in any profession, trade or occupation whether for gain or not in T&T or be employed in T&T unless he or she has a valid work permit.