Rowley: No word on increased water rates

THE PRIME Minister says he has not been advised there would be any increase in water rates.

Dr Rowley was responding to a question in the House Wednesday. Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan asked whether, with the sizeable subsidies granted to the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) averaging $2 billion a year, Government intended to increase water rates to offset the subsidy.

Rowley responded that the matter of water rates was one for the independent Regulated Industries Commission, which would make the necessary adjustment.

“No such recommendation has been made to us at this time. However, the commission constantly reviews the situation and it would make its submission.”

He said at the end of the process, when the submissions are made, Government will consider them. Rambachan also asked, given the admission by the Public Utilities Minister that the WASA workforce was much larger than required, whether Government intended to reduce employment levels there and at the TT Electricity Commission (TTEC) at this time.

Rowley said the focus at WASA and TTEC was to improve efficiency and Government was not currently considering any reduction in staff. Rambachan pointed out the minister had said the number of contractors would be cut at WASA to keep the number of workers and asked whether an already oversized workforce was not a burden that was unproductive.

Rowley said if contractors and workers were being paid and there was a focus on removing contractors and having workers doing the job for which the contractors were being paid, “It’s a bargain.”

Rambachan asked if people employed as contractor would lose their jobs. Rowley responded: “WASA was not created to create jobs; it was created to supply water. And if you have people who are even being paid twice for the same job, then the consideration is not reducing jobs by contractors, but using contractors only where they are absolutely essential and allowing WASA staff on the WASA payroll who can do the jobs (to) do their jobs.”