URP workers fired, Ameen claims PNM 'ghosts' in programme

AN undisclosed number of workers at the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) were terminated with immediate effect on September 10 and given one month's salary (in lieu of notice.)

Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen said the government was restructuring the programme after massive corruption was unearthed.

Termination letters were sent to individual workers, drafted on the letterhead of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government and signed by acting permanent secretary Peter Mitchell.

Each letter reminded the affected worker that his/her appointment could be terminated by either party at short notice.

"Accordingly, it is with deep regret that I inform you of the immediate termination of your employment..."

Newsday spoke to a URP office worker on September 10 who lamented the loss of "my sole means of employment."

He said, "I participate in a sou-sou and I still have my hands to pay. I have two kids to send to school and I wasn't planning for this. I am the main breadwinner for my family."

He said he had to console fellow co-workers earlier in the day. He said they had been earning only $3,200 per month.

"It is a lack of confidence we are having. You are unsure what to do now.

"If you want to sell pies,will it have enough money circulating in the community now to buy your pies, I thought."

He alleged the government had learnt nothing from its recent mass-firing at Cepep, which he said had hurt many small people.

"There is no plan, so you don't know what to do. You are not giving anybody any confidence, when we lose our job."

He acknowledged the programme could be better structured but said it was wrong to fire people who were turning up for work.

Asked if URP was tainted by "ghost gangs", he said that had happened in the past when people were getting a "ten day's work." He said, "But for these monthly-paid URP workers, if they have ghosts it is just five per cent. Ninety-five per cent are legit."

However, Ameen defended the firings, in a voice-note broadcast on Radio i95.5 FM on September 10. She said the government had been lenient by allowing the workers to remain in their jobs after the April 28 general election.

"That has been going on for decades. This is the only time that we did not terminate those workers immediately.

"Usually the week after election those persons are terminated. We have indicated to the public that we are restructuring the URP programme.

"After the elections we have had those persons continue to work for over five months when as I say, normally, they would have been terminated immediately.

"Now we are getting more advanced in the restructuring, of course some persons, these people, are going home. They would have been allowed to work for an additional five months even after the government changed."

Ameen explained the terminations.

"The purpose of the restructuring, of course, is to save the government some money in terms of the corruption, in terms of the rampant ghost gangs. We have done several investigations and audits and so on and the level of corruption within the URP programme is really unacceptable.

"So, there are people who will be receiving termination letters who didn't ever or hardly ever worked." She claimed when the PNM won the 2015 general election, URP workers were sent home immediately.

"We are doing it on a phased basis, but it is due to our restructuring of the programme."

Ameen later elaborated her position in a voice-note to Newsday.

"So yes, people are being terminated, but what you will have is more-meaningful employment being created, people having better-paying jobs (and) in terms of the type of work they are doing will be contributing to society in a bigger way."

Ameen doubled down on her corruption claim.

"A lot of persons who were politically affiliated who the PNM hired, friends and family, who were employing 'ghosts'. This restructuring will eliminate that corruption and allow us to hire more 'real' people."

She said the PNM "facilitated those ghost gangs. They facilitated the corruption."

Ameen then made a startling claim, saying there was a URP employee whose daughter studied abroad, but was "receiving a salary for an office position that she did not report to. So all this blatant corruption under the PNM has to be removed for that money to be used for meaningful employment.

"So our commitment is to ensure that more people receive jobs.

"What I can tell you is that as we go along, you will hear more about how we will be rolling out in terms of employment and so on."

Opposition MP for Laventille West Kareem Marcelle condemned the URP firings in a text to Newsday via WhatsApp.

"Today’s mass firing of hundreds of monthly-paid URP workers is just another example of the wicked, callous and evil actions by the UNC government who campaigned on the promise that when UNC wins, everybody wins. This mass firing rampage by this deceitful government continues to focus on poor and vulnerable people."

He said URP monthly-paid workers earn salaries of $3,000-$7,000.

"These employees are on the lower end of the economic ladder.

"Many of these employees have worked URP for more than 15 years and were summarily dismissed without notice."

Marcelle said many URP employees have accrued vacation and other leave which were not being honoured.

He sent a pointed message to citizens, paraphrasing that of German pastor Martin Niemoller who had criticised dictatorship in 1940s Europe.

"First they came for Cepep workers; and you did not speak out because you are not a Cepep worker.

"Then they came for forestry workers; you did not speak out because you are not a forestry worker.

"Then they came for contract workers in our ministries; you did not speak out because you are not a contract worker."

Likewise, Marcelle cited the plight of WASA trainees, LSA workers, URP daily-paid workers and URP monthly-paid workers.

"When the UNC comes for you; There may be no one left to speak out…..EXCEPT THE PNM!

"Stand Up! Speak Out!"

Newsday asked Marcelle about Ameen saying the URP needs restructuring due to alleged corruption including the hiring of "ghosts" plus favouritism towards friends of the PNM.

He replied, "Where there are allegations of 'ghosts', those are criminal allegations and ought to be referred to the police service.

"In the absence of any such proof, this is simply UNC lies, deceit and old talk!"

Otherwise, he said friends of the PNM and PNM members were citizens too.

"Since when is it an offence or wrong for PNM people to be hired?

"UNC is in power because some of the very same PNM members voted for them or decided to stay away from the polls.

"I am certain many of those persons who fell for the UNC promises are now the victims of today."

Newsday tried but was unable to contact former local government minister Faris Al-Rawi who on June 4 was reported by Newsday as warning of URP and Cepep mass firings.

“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,” he had declared.

Al-Rawi had claimed that 5,000 URP workers and 10,000 Cepep workers could be fired, saying, “Cepep is being earmarked – and we will come with more (details) – for mass firings.”

On June 27, some 10,500 Cepep workers and roughly 360 Cepep contractors were terminated. By July 2, some 4,608 workers and contractors at the National Reforestation and Watershed Programme were fired.