Fired Cepep contractor: Padarath has no conscience

Dozens of former workers and contractors gathered in protest outside Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) headquarters at Factory Road in Ste Madeleine on July 2, calling for answers.

About 50 people, including contractors, gathered at Usine Road shortly before 9 am and marched onto Factory Road in front of the company’s office.

There the disgruntled group chanted, “We want we money right now,” as they demanded that Cepep officials speak with them.

Some shouted, “Come out and stop hiding inside.”

Media personnel who tried to enter the compound for comment were blocked when a worker shut the door.

Later, senior operations manager Shivanand Balkaran came out and apologised.

He also addressed the fired workers and urged them to remain calm.

Balkaran asked the group to be peaceful and to avoid blocking the road, to which protesters responded that they had no intentions of being violent or disruptive.

When they demanded to see CEO Keith Eddy, Balkaran informed them that Eddy was not on the compound and said he did not have answers to their questions.

The termination letters, signed by Eddy, were issued to contractors, on June 27.

The termination has left an estimated 360 contractors and 10,500 workers unemployed.

Crevordor Piper, a contractor from Fifth Company, Moruga, expressed frustration.

He said he signed his first contract on April 22, just six days before the general election.

Asked about possible legal action, he said, “Once everybody is on board, we will do it. It is unfair.”

On the current audit into Cepep, he said, “Audit does take a while. This is a big issue and people’s patience are running out.”

Piper believes his termination was politically motivated and admitted he was disheartened. When asked if he was part of any political campaign, he responded, “Everyone was,” but gave no further details.

Gifford Adams, another contractor who served for eight years, also spoke out.

He described himself as “a just person who stands for what is right.” He said he did not like to see injustice and added that “many Trinidadians are gullible” as he warned against “political propaganda.”

He made allegations about racism and accused Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath of “not having a conscience.” Adams said his contract was due to end this year, with a renewal set for 2029, and he signed the new agreement about a month before the election.

Several workers also voiced their concerns. Tarin Perryman, who worked in the Pleasantville area, said she was struggling to make ends meet. “They know we are poor people in this country. We have rights too. We have bills too. I have a mortgage to pay for. I have grandchildren to see about. It is very hard,” she told reporters.

“If today or tomorrow, T&TEC come and say I have to pay for lights, I don’t know how I am paying. It is unbearing. They say we would be rehired, but when? I would like to know when I am getting back my job.”

Another former worker, Curt Nicholas, accused the government of depriving people of their livelihoods.

“They laid us off right before school closed. I have things to do. I have to live. We have bills to pay and children to see about,” he said, adding that many single parents are among the affected. He expressed concern over the delay caused by the Cepep audit: “Landlords do not want to hear that an audit is pending. Schools do not want to hear that it is pending. Your stomach does not want to hear that pending. As much as people like to say it pays small money, the money helped us.”

Since his appointment as Public Utilities Minister, Barry Padarath, the ministry has been auditing and reviewing several state companies, including Cepep. He said for the past seven years, there have been no audited financial statements.

He reiterated the government’s position on the Morning Edition programme just hours before the protest.

He added that the central audited committee of the Finance Ministry had flagged the hiring practices and the procurement practices at Cepep. The government allegedly found several anomalies in terms of the programme’s expenditure and operations.

Padarath highlighted that Cepep contracted companies, not individual workers.

He charged that the decision to terminate the contracts was in the best interest of the country.

“When the AG office reviewed the contracts, there is a stipulation in the contract that says that contractors will receive a payment of one month’s emoluments in lieu of notice,” he said.

“Therefore, over this transitionary period of Cepep, we are encouraging contractors that once you receive the payments you have to do right by your workers. The government did not employ the Cepep worker; we employed the contractors,” Padarath said.

He added that a new Cepep registration process would be advertised in newspapers and other media outlets, and that a new Cepep board was expected to be appointed on July 2.

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, together with other members of a legal team, has promised free representation to the terminated Cepep contractors and workers.

Many opposition members have publicly expressed their displeasure over the termination.