SRPs fear not being paid

Four Special Reserve Police constables who were suddenly transferred from the Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and Environment to Works Division from January 25 fear they will not be paid at the end of the month because no proper transfer procedures were put in place.

The officers, who have worked at the Tobago House of Assembly’s Environment Department since 2011, were told last year they were being transferred to the Works Division. They were then sent on vacation and when they reported for duty two weeks ago, Works Division staff told them there was no record of their transfer and no arrangements had been made to have them included on a pay list for February.

The officers said yesterday they were dumbfounded, but continued reporting for duty. On Wednesday, they met with secretary of the Police Social and Welfare Association ASP Anand Ramesar, who is threatening legal action.

Ramesar said, “Over the last six years there has always been an issue of treating SRPs fairly when it comes to compensation, especially compensation which they are entitled to coming out of salary negotiations conducted by the Social and Welfare Department of the TTPS.

“One of my biggest fears is victimisation in this situation, and it is necessary that there is an intervention by an officer as high as the Chief Secretary in Tobago to avoid the unpleasant situation where these officers may not receive a salary at the end of February.”