Ameen: Government moving to create jobs, not fire workers

RURAL Development and Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen says the UNC is about creating new jobs and not firing people.

She made the comment during a visit to the Princes Town Regional Corporation on June 10.

On June 3, former rural development and local government minister Faris Al-Rawi claimed there would be mass firings of URP and CEPEP workers.

“I’d like to caution the government that irresponsible action, witch-hunting, mass firings, persecution, scandalising will not be tolerated and will be met with full force.”

In response on June 10, Ameen said, "I think it is an attempt by the previous minister to create mass hysteria because he has nothing else to say."

She added the UNC's performance in government had started very well since the party won the April 28 general election.

Ameen said there was very little the PNM could criticise the UNC on.

She repeated Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's promise during the election campaign to create 50,000 jobs should the UNC form the government.

Ameen said several government ministries were looking at ways to support micro-entrepreneurs and create more opportunities for people to earn revenues through either regular employment or support for entrepreneurs.

"Faris, just take a rest. Rest your mouth a little bit."

Ameen: Al-Rawi's improper hiring put jobs at risk

Ameen repeated statements made by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein at a post-cabinet media conference on June 5 about contracts being awarded by her ministry while Al-Rawi was minister.

She claimed Al-Rawi "would have entered into contract agreements where no monies was available and there are people who were employed to do political work in several ministries who have not reported to work a day since they started their contracts."

Ameen also claimed there "are also areas where they (PNM) would have awarded contracts to companies and to individuals where there was no money in the ministry to pay those people for the duration of the financial year or even beyond that."

She said such actions would have put public purse under tremendous strain.

"If as a government or a government minister you acted improperly in employing persons, you are the one who jeopardised the security of their jobs. So don't try to blame this government. Our intention is to create 50,000 more new jobs and we will do that."

At a media conference on June 9, Al-Rawi said claims made by Padarath and Hosein that contractors at the Rural Development Company (RDC) forestry division were taking home $45,000 a month and at CEPEP were not true.

He said the monthly contractor’s fee at CEPEP was $ 21,000 and a contractor at the RDC got $4,581.61.

Al-Rawi described the ministers’statements as exaggerated.

He said hundreds of people at regional health authorities (RHAs) had become unemployed by non-renewal of contracts. Al-Rawi also said thousands of workers at CEPEP, the RDC and the forestry division feared losing their jobs

Al-Rawi said extension of contracts was a matter for the boards of those companies and not ministers.

Health Ministry: No policy to fire staff

Later on June 10, a Ministry of Health statement also sought to clarify its position on potential firings at RHAs.

It said, "The Ministry of Health takes this opportunity to advise that it is not aware of any policy directives issued by the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) to cease hiring or to arbitrarily terminate staff contracts."

The ministry said, in the absence of appointed boards, CEOs of RHAs continued to manage human-resource matters with oversight from the Health Ministry.

"This includes ensuring that staffing levels remain aligned with the service of delivery goals of each institution, while also operating within their financial realities.

"This prudent oversight is especially important in light of the RHAs’ collective request for approximately $400 million in additional funding to address aged payables, submitted for the mid-year budget review."

The ministry said it had kept contact with the RHAs "to ensure operational continuity, including the continuation of new hires and contract renewals, pending the appointment of the RHA Boards."

It added that patient care and the delivery of health services remained unaffected.