Those without contracts uncertain about future

Yesterday Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said a review is now taking place at the SSA after it was discovered that a lot of employees were operating without any legitimate contracts and therefore cannot benefit from any remuneration packages they claim they are entitled to.

He said the audit is internal and it is being carried out by persons within the SSA and that at the end of the exercise it will determine what happens in terms of continued employment.

He added that under SAUTT there were employees who were operating without any contracts which he believes is questionable and, although some of those employees were transferred to the SSA, a clean-up exercise is now taking place and those who did not have any contracts will be assessed and a decision taken on their future.

However, despite the claims made by Dillon, several SSA employees say they were promised a back pay when they were moved across to the SSA.

They say all the documents were in place for the payment to be made but this decision was rescinded and now some former army officers have begun a restructuring process.

Some employees told Newsday that they believe favouritism is now taking place within the unit and only those who are favoured will be kept on.

Employees added that they are now being forced to seek legal redress to have their matters decided because they gave several years of service to the SAUTT, the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) and now the SSA and they feel they should be rewarded for those years of service.

Some employees claim that they moved to the SAUTT after they were promised exceptionally good benefits, and when they were transferred to the SSA the promises continued and now they are being told that a restructuring is taking place and they may not receive any benefits at all.

They are also uncertain about their jobs because last year all SSA employees were allegedly forced to sign resignation letters on the instruction of a top SSA official.

Newsday was told that some of the disgruntled employees joined a trade union to have their complaints addressed and, after receiving the letter from the union certifying their membership, they were placed in an office at the SSA where they were not provided with any computers or instructions regarding their duties, and when their contracts came to an end those contracts were not renewed.

Some employees have taken their matters to the Industrial Court. Others who became fearful and did not join a union say they believe that their jobs are also in limbo.

Efforts to reach head of the SSA Colonel George Robinson on the matter proved futile