Beckles knocks PM: How can you love people and fire them?

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles said the government has terminated monthly-paid workers under the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) located in 12 regional corporations across Trinidad and Tobago and she alleged that more firings in unspecified areas were on the cards.

She was addressing a PNM rally at Diego Martin North Community Centre on September 10. Beckles said 51 workers were terminated earlier that day in her constituency of Arima.

"I want to say to those of you working in (URP) head office, watch out for tomorrow."

Mimicking the UNC's general election slogan, she then quipped, "You all now know when UNC wins, everybody lost."

She lamented the "pain, suffering and frustration" of workers who had lost their jobs, especially when she alleged no good reason had been given.

"You would have been sitting at home and you would have been watching the swearing-in of the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Every word: 'I love you.' 'I love you.' 'I love my people.'

"How you does love people and fire them? How do you love single mothers and send them home? Not only send them home (but) you send them home just a month or two before school. reopens. Wicked!"

Beckles said some people were upset with her for saying many people who lost their jobs had voted for the UNC.

"You know that there were many of the Cepep workers who decided to give these (UNC) people a chance. Because when they passed around they promised you ham, lamb and jam."

She said such voters had "bought" into the UNC promises. "And now, they send you home."

Beckles lamented, "People can't pay their rent, they can't pay their loan, you can't go in the market, you can't buy no groceries.

"What manner of man and woman would do that to the people of TT?"

She alleged, "Let us understand that this government is sitting down every day planning and plotting, to send people of TT home."

Beckles scoffed at UNC promises to create 50,000 new jobs, saying they were actually first sending home 50,000 workers.

"If in less than 100 days you're getting paid late, they sending home people from WASA, they send home people from LSA (Land Settlement Agency), they send home people from reforestation, they send home people from URP, they send home people from Cepep, they closed down the Civilian Conservation Corps.

"When last you know of a young person who get a job in OJT (On The Job Training programme)?"

She said the PNM had made mistakes and many people had not come out to vote for its candidates in last April's general election, which the UNC won by a landslide.

"But allyuh regret it. When you see what you get for government and governance, what is passing for government and governance."

Beckles said many people were still hurting over the PNM. "I am here tonight to say we are sorry.

"Those of you who are suffering: how to send your child to school?

"We are very empathetic (and) very conscious of your situation."

Regarding school violence, Beckles said former education minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly had hired 200 extra school support staff to help pupils with their problems, as children were coming to school to "act out" all the challenges they were facing at home.

"Have you renewed the contracts of the student support officers? Because when you are dealing with issues related to crime and violence, it is a multi-faceted approach."

She said even amid the government's announcement of armed police to be posted at certain schools, news came of a teacher and pupil fighting at an Arima school.

Beckles than asked the government to state its criteria for choosing which schools to which to send armed police officers.

"We are also asking you, are you specifically training those officers that going to those schools to understand?

"We are also asking you, have you paid the invigilators from CXC their money?