THA Minority Leader: Over 41 workers fired from CEPEP

TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) Minority Leader Kelvon Morris has described the termination of contracts to CEPEP workers on the island as sad and unfortunate.

Last Friday, a number of workers were given letters signed by the administrator of the division, Earland Kent, which ended their contracts with immediate effect.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday, Morris said: “This is indeed a sad and unfortunate situation where Tobago contract workers are being summarily dismissed without proper compensation under the guise of restructuring.”

Secretary of the division Terance Baynes could not confirm how many employees were terminated but Morris said he was advised that it was actually over 41.

“More than half the monthly paid CEPEP ​​staff terminated have been employed with the programme for periods extending a decade and have served with distinction. It is therefore unconscionable, that this administration would send home these workers with immediate effect and only one month's salary in lieu of one month's notification. How are these employees expected to provide for themselves and their families after July ends?”

He said proper industrial relations practices and processes dictate that, in cases of restructuring and redundancy of this nature, workers should be paid a reasonable separation package based on their contract terms and years of service.

“However, this administration is sending home these workers on short notice and without any reasonable compensation.

"One young lady called me absolutely distressed, because she recently left an abusive relationship and started renting and is now contemplating returning to the relationship, because she will not be able to afford the rent after July.

"I also spoke to another employee who is father to two young scholars studying abroad, however he is now contemplating having them discontinue their programme because he would no longer be able to afford paying for their accommodation at UWI Cave Hill, Barbados.”

Morris wondered whether the current THA administration understood the enormity of the hurt, pain, trauma and distress it was inflicting on fellow Tobagonians, as well as the debilitating effects its actions were having on Tobago's economy, families and the individuals alike.

“The Chief Secretary's assurances that they will accommodate unsuccessful applicants after the recruitment process is completed, offers little comfort, since this is the same Chief Secretary prior to the December 6, 2021 THA elections that gave the assurance to all contract workers that no one would lose their jobs were the PDP to win the elections, which they did.

"Seven months later, this same Chief Secretary has reneged on his word and placed over 300 Tobagonians on the breadline, many of whom bought into his party's vision of an all-inclusive Tobago and voted resoundingly for the PDP.”

Morris said, like the rest of the right-thinking citizens of Tobago, he felt the pain of the terminated workers and called on the PDP administration to recognise that the fired workers are Tobagonians with families too.

Questioned on the matter recently, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said, “Once there is usefulness for the work you do, we would keep you. Once there isn’t usefulness for the work you do, then we are left with no choice. At the end of the day, we have to square our recurrent expenditures with our development agenda as well.”

He chastised the Minority Council, who he said remained hushed when another restructuring was taking place.

“What I find hypocritical is that I got silence from their quarters when scores of Tobagonians lost their jobs at TSTT. I heard nothing from them. I didn’t hear them say 'the government wicked.' I didn’t hear them say, 'PNM wicked.'

"They said absolutely nothing while TSTT did its restructuring exercises. You cannot be hypocritical about how these things ought to work, what is good in one place is just as good in another.”