By Alicia Chamely
OPPOSITION Senator Faris Al-Rawi is calling for the Government to act with fairness and responsibility in their assessments of contracts given to government workers, especially for those who work for minimum wage.
He asked Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to please define the term “one percent,” taking issue with her references to him.
Al-Rawi was speaking on Monday at an Opposition press conference, held at the Office of Opposition Leader, Charles Street, Port-of-Spain.
He said claims that contractors of Rural Development Corporation (RDC) and the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) were being paid massive salaries by Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath and Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Minister Sadam Hosein were highly exaggerated.
Al-Rawi said, monthly, a contractor for the RC earns $4,581.60 and a contractor for CEPEP earns $2,100.
He said there was currently “fear” among thousands of workers in these government agencies that they would soon be let go.
Al-Rawi said he had been informed that a review of these entities was taking place and Padarath’s statement, in his opinion, indicated “mass firings.”
He said, “Our information is that the government intends to review these things enmass and the fear that workers have, the thousands of workers have, is that they will simply be put out of jobs either by the reduction of teams and contractors, or by way of a cancellation of the programme entirely.”
Al-Rawi said he had received confirmation that within the Regional Health Authorities, workers who were contracted during the Covid-19 pandemic, were not having their contracts renewed.
He said, “So the issue of firings is enlarged by no contractual renewals.”
Al-Rawi added, “The Oppositions puts the population on notice that thousands of persons, particularly along the lowest paid echelons of CEPEP, Forestry, and now if you look to the RHAs, where the directive has been given, that there will be no renewals of contracts for first time contractors.”
He confirmed that seven people in the Attorney General’s office, were escorted out by security, sent on leave and are having their contracts bought out.
Al-Rawi, “It surely cannot be everybody that was hired for the ten years we were in the office are labelled as PNM and must be sent home.”
He called on the government to act fairly with their assessment of jobs and contracts.
Addressing the issue of contracts being signed days before the general election, Al-Rawi said he was informed that this was often done to promote business continuity.
He made it clear that ministers have no roles in hiring or the issuances of contracts, and these are handled by the boards of the state-run companies.
Al-Rawi referenced a newspaper article published on June 3, 2015, in which the former People’s Partnership minister in charge of CEPEP denied any wrongdoing with the issuance of 107 contracts up to five days before the 7 September 2015 general election.
He added, “Stick a pin in it.”
Al-Rawi took issue with Persad-Bissessar’s reference to him as the “spokesperson for the one percent” during the last post cabinet press briefing.
He said, “I would like to publicly ask the prime minister what does that mean? Is it in reference to race, is it in reference to where you come from, because if it is in reference to economic interest then I dare say the honourable prime minister should look very close to home.”
Al-Rawi added, “Beginning across the platform, I think it unfortunate and distasteful to constantly refer to people in derogatory terms.”
Relating this back to the issue of firings he said, “There is a fear amongst 1000s of persons that they will be out of employment. If you tie that back to honourable Prime Minister’s statements of being one percent, well endorsing and encouraging that people who earn $120 a day are safe from firing is certainly a label worth carrying.”
