Employees of the Economic Control Service (ECD) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship, and Technological Innovation (EZOTI) have initiated a work stoppage, led by the staff union headed by Glenn Samipersad. In a letter addressed to Director Suraksha Hirasingh, with a copy to Minister Andrew Basaron, the staff cited the immediate cause of the strike as the expiration of their identification credentials. They deemed it ‘unacceptable’ to perform their duties as enforcement officers without valid credentials while daily identifying violations and fining businesses. The letter also highlighted several structural issues within the service, including the delayed swearing-in of BAVP-trained officers, the absence of armed personnel following retirements and deaths of colleagues, a severe shortage of vehicles hindering inspections, inadequate security and poor working conditions, insufficient clothing and fuel allowances, and disrupted cooperation with the police since the departure of the chief police inspector at the ECD. Additionally, the staff advocated for a fixed arrangement where a percentage of collected fines would be allocated to the ECD for maintenance and operational costs. The letter stated that ‘the expired BAVP pass was the final straw,’ and the employees vowed to return to work only once the outlined issues are resolved.