Ministries’ workers protest AFC proposed budget cuts

Apr 19, 2012 News

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–  fear that they stand to lose their jobs or get a lower salary

Hundreds of employees of Government Ministries and other agencies yesterday protested a

proposal by the Alliance for Change to slash monies allocated for the payment of contract employees.
Some of the protestors explained that while they were not forced to protest they were encouraged by their colleagues who announced that they should “stand up for their rights.”
A few nurses explained that they were “urged” by co-workers to protest because they would be losing their jobs if the AFC succeeded in cutting the budgets for the various Ministries.
Yet some staff from the Ministries quietly told this newspaper that they were “ordered” to gather in front of the Parliament Buildings by their superiors.
“I don’t know but I didn’t really want to come but my friend in the office told me that our boss said if we didn’t come then we would be losing our jobs faster. I don’t know if it was the Minister them or Permanent Secretary who order it but we had to come,” said one health worker.
On Tuesday the AFC sought in Parliament some $3.824B in budget cuts from programmes under three Ministries; the Ministry of Housing and Water, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
A notice of a Motion in AFC Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan’s name, which was circulated in the National Assembly on Tuesday evening, calls for amendments to be moved in the Committee of Supply to reduce allocations for expenditure under the above mentioned Ministries.
The respective Ministers hastily called a press conference shortly after and stated that should this Motion be passed, it would result in almost half of their contracted employees losing their jobs.
With this threat looming over their heads, the large crowd of contracted employees at these Ministries gathered in front of Parliament Buildings yesterday, to protest against such a proposal.
Staff from the Ministries of Housing and Water, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Education, Foreign Affairs, Local Government and Regional Development, Agriculture, Public Service, Public Works, Human Services and Social Security, Health and Labour turned up in numbers for fear of being sent home due to job cuts. Staff from the Parliament Buildings and other agencies also supported the protest.
But there were some who contended that they were ordered to join the protest line or face dismissal.
Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, who is also responsible for the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, stated that such a proposal by Ramjattan was far from expected, especially since the AFC chastised the Government for not creating enough jobs to meet the local market. He said that more money should be pooled into tourism.
“In the debate they said they wanted more money for tourism yet Ramjattan and Cathy Hughes who stood up in Parliament like a hypocrite and say they want more money for tourism suggested that we cut tourism by 53 per cent.
“This is the type of hypocrisy that we have to deal with; we are going to stand with the workers, we are going to fall with the workers and we are going to stay with the workers,” stated Ali.
If this Motion were to be passed for the Tourism Ministry, it would see over 65 persons being rendered jobless, he added.
He alluded to the fact that there are many multi-year contracts therefore resulting in a number of litigations.
“What about the hundreds of contractors who got 50 to 60 people working with them, hundreds of people working with them, and these contractors have invested in machinery, in equipment, building up their capacities, what will become of those companies?
They want this country to be destroyed, they want to take away the jobs and create an erosion of the economy. But they are not spiting the Government they are spiting the workers and going against the workers is not spiting the Government, it is harming the lives of these people.”
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, explained that the proposal by the AFC in actuality means one of two options; either pay all of the staff until June and then send them home or cut the staff numbers in half and continue paying them until December.
According to Manickchand, for her Ministry, many of these contracted workers are employed as typists, clerks and teachers. Also staff at the National Centre of Educational Resource Development (NCERD) and more would be affected.
“These are people who develop all the training for teachers and students, the entire placement unit, learning channel. How will they eat, pay their rent, feed children, how will the exam papers be marked, how will we set it? Who will put our children in school? Who will ensure that system continues? If you cut the staff out of the Government then you cut the services of the Government.”
Manickchand added that she was told by Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, that at present there are 6,000 contracted employees.
While commenting on the willingness of these workers to protest, she emphasised that she did not force her staff out to protest.
“I explained to workers what was happening because they were very, very worried. I explained what I will be doing; I will be joining the other workers who are set to be cut today in solidarity, standing in front of Parliament and I made it very clear if they wanted to go they will get time off. However if they didn’t want to go that’s fine.”
Attorney General Anil Nandilall, who was also present, told this newspaper that the attempt by the AFC to cut the Ministries’ budget is an act that he deems “reckless” and one that is “highly irresponsible.”
Speaking about the legality of such actions, the AG noted that a contract gives certain rights to these employees and the severance pay legislation guarantees them certain legal benefits.
“The third dimension is that Government has several projects, contracts with contractors to do these. These contracts have been signed and some are underway and if they cannot be completed it means Government will be liable for the several breaches of contract because Government will be unable to discharge the contractual obligations.”
Labour Minister, Nanda Gopaul, stated that slashing employment costs will in effect mean terminating the services of hundreds of workers. Such contemplated actions would be seen as a violation of the employment terms and conditions of the workers and a violation of the Termination and Employment Severance Pay Act.

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