200 workers axed

This is the latest round of retrenchment on the working class under this Government, she claimed and all affected employees have received their pink slips signed by that ministry’s permanent secretary. In a press release yesterday, Newallo-Hosein said in the employees’ termination letters, they were told that their performance appraisals must be submitted by July 28, 2017, to facilitate the preparation of contract gratuity.

The workers were also instructed to return all electronic devices, including cellphones, laptops and mobile devices by July 31, 2017.

Newallo-Hosein, a former Minister of the People and Social Development in the People’s Partnership government, said she was “extremely concerned and perplexed” as to why the permanent secretary was facilitating contract gratuity based on performance appraisals.

She called on Minister of Social Development and Family Services Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn to say when this practice was introduced, who would conduct the appraisals and whether the appraisals would be biased to justify the firings. Newallo-Hosein also said she has been informed that all employees of the Targeted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (TCCTP), including the director of the programme and those attached to all the regional offices, would be terminated on July 31.

“This begs the question, who and which division will be held responsible for the continuity, efficacy and management of the current food card recipients,” she asked. Newallo-Hosein called on Minister Crichlow-Cockburn to, “Tell the country of the real and true reasons for the retrenchment of these 200 contract workers.” She said with this massive reduction in the ministry’s human resources, the minister must now say exactly what was the real state of the Food Card Programme and whether Government’s intention is to completely shut it down. Newallo- Hosein said the minister must say which division in the ministry would now be responsible for the processing of cards for the differently- abled, the elderly, fire and flood victims, the infirm, single parent headed households, the poor, the vulnerable and the indigent.

She said the termination of these 200 employees meant that 200 persons were now financially and economically burdened and frustrated.