Trainees fed up of late OJT pay

Trainees claim they are paid at random times and this made it difficult for them to cover monthly expenses, including using the money to pay for transport to their jobs.

One trainee told Newsday that on the day of orientation he was told OJTs do not have a specific pay day. But this method has been frustrating for him, he said.

The OJT programme is a project of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education where young adults are assigned to workplaces to gain job experience.

Candice Daniel, 24, a former OJT trainee, said when she was in the programme she was told the stipend would be paid on the first of every month. But that was not the case, said Daniel. Instead she was paid randomly during the six-month programme and is still owed for two weeks’ pay for April.

Daniel, whose job was at a school, said she contacted the Ministry’s accounts department and was told they could not find her time sheets. An official told her that no one expected her to be working for the Easter vacation when schools are closed for two weeks. Even though the school sent a letter to the Ministry advising that she worked through the Easter holidays, Daniel still has not been paid for the time.

“It seems as though the programme only caters for those who have no bills to pay and stay at home all day and if I had known that I would not have joined the programme,” she said.

However, a Ministry official yesterday said all trainees are notified about the payment system, adding that the payments are issued at different times to prevent fraud.

As a result, trainees are paid based on a one-month delay system. The official hinted though that “there will be a distinct improvement soon” in the payment process.

The Ministry’s communications manager Karen Clark-Rowley said the trainees who made their reports to Newsday will be paid within the next two weeks.