JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Monday, July 21, 2025

Mom on maternity leave loses job

by

Sascha Wilson
1847 days ago
20200629
Susan Niles, who lost her job earlier this month, with her children at their home in Claxton Bay.

Susan Niles, who lost her job earlier this month, with her children at their home in Claxton Bay.

RISHI RAGOONATH

Sascha Wil­son

Fac­ing the sad predica­ment of not be­ing able to pro­vide for her four chil­dren, in­clud­ing a ba­by, Su­san Niles is plead­ing to be re­in­stat­ed in her job.

For five years, Niles, 42, worked with a con­trac­tor on the Na­tion­al Re­for­esta­tion and Wa­ter­shed Re­ha­bil­i­ta­tion Pro­gramme. She was as­signed to San Fer­nan­do Hill.

On March 4 she pro­ceed­ed on ma­ter­ni­ty leave. How­ev­er, when she asked about her job af­ter her leave ex­pired this month, she re­ceived the shock­ing news that she was no longer em­ployed. She was told the con­trac­tors had been changed and the pro­gramme is no longer un­der the Agri­cul­ture Min­istry.

Niles found out that dur­ing her ab­sence, the pro­gramme was trans­ferred to the Rur­al De­vel­op­ment Com­pa­ny. The con­trac­tors' ser­vices were ter­mi­nat­ed and fresh con­tracts were award­ed. How­ev­er, some of the work­ers were re­hired.

In an in­ter­view at her Rose­hill Street, Clax­ton Bay home, she re­called: "They told me that they don't have my name as one of the work­ers on San Fer­nan­do Hill. I went to the pre­vi­ous con­trac­tor and he say that they un­der new man­age­ment and they can­not do any­thing about that and they have no space."

Due to the COVID-19 sit­u­a­tion, Niles' hus­band, a ma­son, has not been get­ting work and she said there have been on­ly "ah lil day work" and those have been few and far be­tween.

She said there were many days when she has noth­ing to feed her three sons, ages 13, 10 and six, and her two-month-old daugh­ter. Her el­dest son will be sit­ting the Sec­ondary En­trance Ex­am­i­na­tion in Au­gust. Her step­son, age 22, al­so lives with them.

Susan Niles stand in front of her home in Claxton Day.

Susan Niles stand in front of her home in Claxton Day.

RISHI RAGOONATH

The fam­i­ly got a tem­po­rary food card for three months, but that has since ex­pired.

"Right about now it has noth­ing, the ba­by has no pam­pers, no milk, be­cause I have no cash com­ing in," she said.

Niles is plead­ing to get her job back.

"It is chal­leng­ing right now be­cause of the vol­ume of chil­dren, just now they have to go to school, they have to eat. Most days now they have noth­ing to eat, no food­stuff noth­ing. Some days I won­der what go­ing on, where I get­ting mon­ey from be­cause we have no find of food for them to eat and is chil­dren," she said.

Niles plans to ap­ply for a per­ma­nent food card, but in the mean­time re­lies heav­i­ly on ham­pers or good samar­i­tans for help.

"I don't want to live in pover­ty, I just want a job. I don't know if the peo­ple in charge could look over my sit­u­a­tion and give me back my work please," she plead­ed.

Due to COVID-19, Niles said her ma­ter­ni­ty leave pa­per­work was been com­plet­ed by her for­mer em­ploy­er. She is hop­ing it will be done soon so she could ap­ply for the NIS ben­e­fit.

Any­one will­ing to as­sist the fam­i­ly can con­tact Niles at 343-2860.


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored