Caroni rejects 1,229 land applicants

FORMER Caroni (1975) Ltd has rejected 1,229 applications from former sugar workers for residential land. The company told the sugar workers on Christmas Eve that they were not eligible for consideration. The rejection was met yesterday with strong objections by the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union (ATSGWTU), whose president general Rudranath Indarsingh called on Junior Finance Minister Christine Sahadeo to make public the criterion used to reject the former workers’ applications. Some 9,000 Caroni workers were slated to receive lands as stipulated in their Voluntary Separation Employment Packages when the company downsized operations two years ago.

Last week, Sahadeo announced the number of acres to be distributed, saying that distributions are to be done in 17 locations. The minister disclosed that over 4,000 had submitted applications for lands. In a letter dated December 24, 2004, Caroni’s acting CEO Deosaran Jagroo stated that a reputable auditing firm had completed its review of the list of former employees, “who are to be given consideration for priority access to residential land.” In the letter, Jagroo stated that only former employees who did not own a house on January 1, 2003 would qualify for priority access to residential lands.

The CEO advised the union that former workers would be requested to authorise Caroni to check their “financial transactions associated with a house they own as at January 1 2003 with the said financial institution.” Jagroo then stated, “Further reviews done to date relative to those former employees who applied for residential lands, revealed that 1,229 may not be eligible for consideration.” However, Jagroo stated in his letter to the union, that Caroni would make a final decision with regard to these applications. He said the company would give workers an opportunity to provide any information which would determine their eligibility.  In a response yesterday, Indarsingh said that the ATSGWTU condemns the contents of the letter sent by Jagroo.