Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan has accused officials at the People’s National Movement (PNM) controlled Sangre Grande Regional Corporation of firing 45 contract workers hired three years ago when the People’s Partnership government held control of the council. Rambachan claimed the workers were fired because they are supporters of the United National Congress (UNC).
He was speaking with the media at the opening of a pavilion at Chandernagore Road, Carapichiama, yesterday. The deputy political leader of the UNC said he has received numerous complaints from persons living in Sangre Grande and in villages up to Toco of being denied employment at the corporation.
But in an immediate response, chairman of the corporation Martin Terry Rondon said around 45 contract workers were sent home about two weeks ago on the advice of the CEO of the corporation when their contracts came to an end.
Rondon said the council intends to meet today to decide on the fate of workers. Rondon said he was not about taking away employment from people but he wanted those deserving of employment back on the payroll. He said he believes that some of the workers who were cleaners were not pulling their weight. Rondon said he wants Rambachan to come to the corporation and investigate the reasons why these workers were fired.
In his address at the pavilion opening, Rambachan called on the community leaders to get young people involved in sporting activities and away from alcohol. He said alcohol was causing a toll on the society and gave some alarming figures about the consumption of liquor. He said T&T imported 1.9 million bottles of whiskey and consumes 9.1 million cases of beer a year or 218 million bottles of beer a year.