The Authorities of Trinidad and Tobago has terminated the contracts of 400 employees employed beneath the Unemployment Reduction Programme (URP), sparking backlash from the opposition Folks’s Nationwide Motion (PNM), union representatives, and affected employees.
– Commercial –
Based on Trinidad Guardian, termination letters had been distributed on Wednesday throughout the URP’s 12 regional places of work. Rural Growth and Native Authorities Minister Khadijah Ameen confirmed the choice, describing it as a part of a restructuring train geared toward tackling many years of entrenched corruption throughout the programme.
Rejecting accusations of political victimisation, Ameen defended the transfer throughout an interview at her Tunapuna constituency workplace. “For many years, every time there’s a change in authorities, they might hearth all of the individuals working in URP and exchange them with people who find themselves politically aligned to the federal government. This time, we didn’t try this,” she mentioned.
“Fairly frankly, if we operated just like the PNM, all of these folks would have been despatched residence as quickly because the election was completed. We didn’t try this. So, we’re not victimising anybody,” she added.
Based on Ameen, latest audits uncovered irregularities similar to “ghost gangs” and employees listed on the payroll however by no means reporting to obligation. She cited one case the place a senior employees member’s daughter, learning in Jamaica, remained on the payroll as a full-time workplace employee.
The PNM strongly condemned the transfer. Social gathering chairman Marvin Gonzales urged residents to rally in opposition to what he known as “a rampaging and unhinged UNC Authorities.” “This isn’t about politics. It’s about saving T&T,” he declared.
The URP, lengthy considered as a “make-work” programme, has been repeatedly criticised for inefficiency and corruption. The most recent dismissals have reignited debate about the way forward for the scheme and its function in offering employment for susceptible residents.
