By Sue-Ann Wayow

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles is expected to meet with all terminated contractors previously employed by the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) Ltd.

She will host a legal clinic on Sunday at 10 am at the Lisas Gardens Community Centre, Couva, for all contractors.

A panel of lawyers will accompany the opposition leader and will meet with and offer consultation to all affected contractors, a media release from the opposition leader on Saturday stated.

The People’s National Movement (PNM) has expressed outrage over the termination of over 300 contractors previously employed by CEPEP.

This means that more than 10,000 people employed by the contractors would be without a job from Monday.

Member of Parliament for Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West Stuart Young stated on his Facebook page, “I have been contacted by many affected citizens. To do this to families, including thousands of parents is simply cruel, inhumane and wrong. I shall be reviewing this victimisation from a legal perspective to establish what action can be brought against CEPEP Ltd and the Government for these premature and cruel terminations.”

MP for San Fernando East Brian Manning thanked the workers who were terminated saying he felt extreme sadness at the situation.

Former Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi  said “This isn’t reform, it’s revenge. This isn’t leadership, it’s cruelty.”

Earlier this month, Al-Rawi warned that the workers were going to be terminated.

On June 8, Al-Rawi said at a press conference, “The Opposition 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.”

Since the United National Congress (UNC) came into government, government members have accused the former administration of playing with taxpayers’ dollars, giving out exorbitant salaries and hiring people as an election ploy.

Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen in response to Al-Rawi’s statement said, “I say to you if as a government or a government minister you acted improperly in employing persons, you are the one who has jeopardised the security of their jobs. So don’t try to blame this government.”

She also said then, it was Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s intention to create 50,000 jobs and currently several ministries were looking into initiatives to support micro entrepreneurship.

Ameen said that through the fostering of micro entrepreneurship the country will see new forms of revenue and employment.

The termination of the contractors came shortly after the government announced plans for a full audit of CEPEP’s assets, contracts, and operations