Judiciary staff threaten shutdown

ADMINISTRATIVE staff at the Judiciary are threatening to shut down the courts next week to protest a move to terminate them and hire contract workers to fill key positions.

They have dubbed next Monday’s proposed shutdown a “justice holiday.”

The workers met with their union representatives at the Public Services Association (PSA) on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, and later walked to the Hall of Justice, Knox Street, where they were addressed by the union’s president Watson Duke.

“Monday is a holiday for justice – a justice holiday,” Duke said.

Staff from various court districts, including Tobago, Point Fortin, Siparia, San Fernando, Mayaro, Port of Spain, Arima, and Tunapuna, were at the protest.

They said with the setting up of new courts, including the new criminal and traffic court divisions, several administrative staff positions, among them judicial support officers for judges, will be terminated by September 1.

They also said they have been told they can apply for the contract positions.

“But that would mean that if we do resign, we would lose all our service in the public service. This cannot be fair. We have families, mortgages, loans,” one staffer said.

Duke said close to 1,400 workers would be affected.

He told the media the Judiciary had come up with a “scheme” to send home staff and “jacked up” the qualifications for a number of positions, telling the workers they had to resign and reapply for their jobs.

“They are sending workers home, saying the Judiciary is not working up to standard,” Duke said. “What is the process they used to arrive at a new judiciary to say they don’t want you again?”

He said the PSA and workers were never part of the discussions, which included the passage of legislation to create new courts.

Duke was adamant that the PSA will do “whatever it takes” to ensure the tenure of workers is not altered by the new move. He said the union will continue to write to the Judiciary and the government with its position to seek resolution.