Trinidad and Tobago - Labor

The economically active population in 1997 was estimated at 541,000 persons, of whom approximately 64.1% were engaged in services; 12.4% in construction and electricity, gas, and water supply; 14% in mining, quarrying, and manufacturing; and 9.5% in agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing. Unemployment averaged 13% in the early 1970s and had risen to 17% by 1973; in 1981, the rate was about 10%, after which it rose to 22% by 1989, but fell back to 11% in 2001.

The principal national labor federation is the Trinidad and Tobago Labor Congress. Of nonaffiliated unions, the largest is the National Union of Government and Federated Workers. As of 2002, an estimated 25–30% of the workforce was organized into 19 labor unions. The right to strike is provided by law with the exception of those employed in essential services. There is little protective labor legislation; work rules are subject to labor-management negotiation.

A minimum wage of $1.10 per hour was established in 1998, but it is considered insufficient to support a family. Children between the ages of 12 and 14 may work in family businesses. The normal workday is eight to nine hours, five days a week. Vacation periods vary from two to five weeks a year, depending on length of service. There is no organized exploitation of children, but they do occasionally serve in the informal economy such as working as street vendors.