Senior Reporter
kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
The Government’s dismissal of 400 Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) workers, justified as a crackdown on “ghost workers,” has triggered backlash from trade union leaders, who say the move was unjust and breached established labour practices.
The Banking, Insurance and General Workers’ Union (BIGWU), which represents 600 monthly paid URP workers, yesterday condemned the decision as draconian and demanded their reinstatement.
The Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) also expressed solidarity, insisting the workers deserve decent, sustainable jobs with proper benefits.
In addressing the issue, National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) general secretary Michael Annisette conceded that corruption within the URP must be addressed but accused the Government of trampling on industrial relations principles.
“We in the National Trade Union Centre believe that the approach by the Government defies the established industrial relations practices as we know because there is a plethora of Industrial Court judgements that deal with that,” he said.
“I want to remind the general public that when the PNM government came into power, they fired everybody from the URP within two days of being in power, and those matters went to the Industrial Court, and they had to pay out money to those workers.”
Industrial Court rulings have repeatedly struck down similar dismissals. In 2019, the court found the Ministry of Works and Transport had violated principles of good conscience and industrial relations when it terminated a long-serving URP worker under a “restructuring” process. Two earlier cases, in 2015 and 2016, reached the same conclusion.
Annisette said NATUC stands for principles of justice and the rule of law, stressing the need for a tripartite body of labour, business, and government to address systemic issues.
“It is traumatising, and I know what I am saying because we are advised in NATUC that they are sending home everybody from the various regions. But how do you address an issue like that in the context of good industrial relations practice? You need to call the workers in. You need to talk to them. You need to tell them something, you need to allay the obviously psychological fears.”
He argued that workers employed for over 10 or 15 years cannot simply be treated as disposable, even if contracts allow one month’s notice.
“Someone working continuously for three years and more is considered a permanent employee in law and practice,” he said, adding that many dismissed workers now face hardship in caring for their families.
“We stand firm on the side of workers. We stand firm on the side of justice,” Annisette said.
He urged workers to value productivity and called for a GAP analysis to align URP and the Community Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme with national needs. He suggested transforming the programmes into training agencies for high-demand jobs.
However, he reminded workers that the same People’s National Movement government once capped wage increases at five per cent, showing inconsistency in its stance.
Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU) president Don Devenish said the union recorded 69 dismissals among long-serving employees, including regional managers, engineers, draftsmen, supervisors in the Women’s Programme, clerks, and secretaries. He called the move unlawful and a violation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 158.
“The employment of a worker shall not be terminated unless there is a valid reason for such termination connected with the capacity or conduct of the worker or based on the operational requirements of the undertaking, establishment or service,” Devenish said.
Devenish dismissed Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen’s justification for the dismissals under the guise of a “restructuring” exercise due to rampant corruption uncovered.
“Why was the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act not applied? Why was due process ignored?” he asked.
He said Ameen’s suggestion that the Government was lenient by retaining workers after the election revealed political abuse of power.
Devenish added that if the Government is serious about tackling corruption, it must address URP programme manager Feeroz Khan, who admitted the programme contained 8,000 ghost names.
“Instead of hiding behind these dismissals, he should accept responsibility, resign immediately and spare the country his hollow attempts to portray himself as some corruption buster,” Devenish said.
Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) general secretary Ozzi Warwick said the controversy exposes a deeper issue: the normalisation of insecure, low-paid jobs.
“The URP programme has been used for many years as a political weapon where workers in this country have been trapped in cycles of short-term, insecure employment with little to no protection, benefits, or representation. This status quo cannot continue.
“Our citizens and workers deserve better. They deserve the opportunity to work and live with dignity, in jobs that respect their rights, value their contribution, and provide them with long-term security,” Warwick said.
He argued for investment in skills and sustainable sectors like agriculture to break the dependency on temporary jobs.
“It is important that the Government utilise its resources to restructure the current system in order to provide permanent jobs with proper benefits that allow workers to sustain themselves and their families.”
Warwick added that stable work is fundamental to dignity and that workers must have the right to union representation.
