Duke: PSA will resist any plan to cut WASA staff

Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke is warning the Government that his associatiion will resist any possible staff cuts at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

At a press conference at the association’s Abercromby Street, Port of Spain headquarters on Tuesday. Duke said, “When you all are coming for WASA, prepare the morgues for us. We are not willing to just close up shop and call it a day.”

Duke said the morgue was the only place a man would chill out on the ice and do nothing, but as long as they are alive they will put up resistance.

“We are prepared.”

He began by saying that he was provoked by listening to Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales during the Standing Finance Committee on Monday.

Duke was dissatisfied with Gonzales’ response to questions on what would happen to WASA, given the reduction in its subvention from $1.8 billion to $1.2 billion.

He said in answering, Gonzales “diverted his attention to the fact that they are doing a report and to say there are no plans to cut staff at WASA.”

However, he added that there are plans to cut staff at WASA, and discussion about the cuts was triggered by Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s 2020 statement about the authority.

“When Minister Gonzales was asked about this cut in subvention, he should have answered the question appropriately by saying there is a cut in subvention and we will review the 5Ms in management.”

The 5Ms model is used for root-cause analysis in business and management.

He said if there is a reduction in subvention the problematic areas of the organisation should be looked at using this model, and asked if the Government will use this principle to evaluate WASA.

Duke also spoke out against the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC), saying it only had gums and was not regulating the industries under its charge.

“But on this matter of WASA they opened their gum and said WASA is overstaffed by 1,500 workers. How did they know that?” he asked.

Duke also made a plug for his slate, Game Changers, for the upcoming PSA elections on November 23.