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Fired Cepep worker: No hope without work

FATHER of three and sole breadwinner Eric Edmond is grappling with deep financial uncertainty after being suddenly laid off from the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep). The abrupt decision left him and thousands of others without notice or recourse, adding to the grief of losing his mother last December. Edmond, who has worked with Cepep since 2018 as an operator, would leave his home in St Albans at dawn to travel to Wallerfield, earning a fortnightly salary of $1,378.50. He admits this was never enough to fully provide for his family, and he often had to hustle on the side to make ends meet. Despite his efforts, the loss of steady work has put serious strain on his ability to cover bills and care for his children. Speaking with Newsday by phone on July 1 while on break from a construction site, Edmond said: “Right now I’m mixing concrete because I still have to take care of my family. No matter what happens, I have to work. I’m used to working hard.” Now, he worries about how to feed and educate his children: his 11-year-old daughter in Standard Four, a one-year-old, and a five-month-old baby. His wife, a stay-at-home mother who would rise before dawn with him to prepare breakfast for the family, has been trying to help him come up with a plan for their uncertain future. “I have one more salary coming, and my wife says we should use it to start a small parlour,” Edmond explained. A multi-skilled labourer, he hopes to build the structure himself, buy goods first, and then work out how to finish the construction. While employed at Cepep, Edmond also completed a masonry course through the Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme to improve his skills and prospects. He described receiving the layoff notice on June 28 in a WhatsApp group message from his team lead: “The contractor just sent a message to everyone’s phone saying we were no longer employed. That was the only notice we got. No warning, no letter, nothing.” The sudden news left both Edmond and his wife reeling. “She wanted to make a video to talk about it on social media, but I told her no, let’s wait and see what’s really going on before we jump to conclusions,” he recalled. His wife, he said, is especially worried about the stress this will put on the family. “My wife doesn’t work. We have two babies and a child going to school – the new school term is almost here.” [caption id="attachment_1164040" align="alignnone" width="1024"] FLASHBACK: Cepep teams work to clean up garbage along Tragarete Road after Carnival festivities on March 4. - Photo courtesy Cepep[/caption] Edmond is already concerned about how he will manage to buy books, uniforms, and other school supplies. “I’m trying to figure that out. I’ll keep hustling on the side until something better comes along.” Looking ahead, Edmond hopes opening the small shop will help keep them afloat. “My wife thinks a parlour is the best option. We’d buy some items and try to get it going.” He directed an appeal to Cepep CEO Keith Eddy, who issued the termination letters in June, ending contractors’ agreements under Clause 15.1 of the 2022 contract and requesting the return of company property within seven days. “You can’t just treat people like that. There are 10,700 people now on the breadline, plus 350 contractors. What are all these people supposed to do? If they turn to crime, are you going to lock up 10,700 people?” Edmond argues the programme offered hope and second chances to people who may have had minor criminal records or trouble in their past. “It’s not that it could push people to crime: it will. Some people couldn’t get any other work. They had steady money every fortnight, they could stay out of trouble. Now that is taken away, what do you expect them to do? Not everyone has a trade. Some people might have no choice but to go back on the streets.” Edmond counts himself fortunate to have a range of skills: “I can do a bit of everything, a jack of all trades, master of none,” he said. “But what about people who have no trade at all who depended on Cepep? That is real stress.” The layoff has already caused him to fall behind: “I have light bills, water bills, and people from the shop I used to buy food on credit. We paid the food people every fortnight. I still owe them. I don’t know when the next dollar coming in. I have to stretch what little I have to buy food for my babies.” Since the announcement, Edmond has spoken with his eldest daughter about the family’s new reality: “I told her already. She still goes to school. I can’t pay for transport right now, but she has to go. So the little money I have, I use to buy food first and then think about the bills after.” Though he strongly disagrees with how the situation was handled, Edmond tries to remain hopeful: “They (the company) could have at least given us a chance to talk before they made the decision. You can’t just put 10,700 people on the breadline just so. That made no sense. I don’t lime, smoke or drink – I work to take care of my family.” He still believes some help may come, recalling how his team would pray every morning with their contractor, a lady he refers to as Ms Marlene: “She (Marlene) was always concerned about our well-being. So I feel she will try to help us.” Edmond said his time at Cepep was the longest he had ever stayed with one employer. “I got my salary, I paid my NIS, and I did my work.” He praised Cepep’s impact on communities: “I rate it 100 per cent. We cut, clean, and keep communities looking good. We make sure when we finish, everything looks and smells good. Especially around Carnival time, people praised our work. Without Cepep for Carnival, the place would be a mess. Whoever came up with Cepep was a boss.” He fears the loss of the programme will hurt communities across the country. “We are still praying. We can’t turn to violence that will only bring more problems.” As the interview ended, Edmond wanted to leave one final message, adding he is willing to protest peacefully if it becomes necessary: “I support this programme and what it does for communities. I support it because it supported me and my family all these years.”   The post Fired Cepep worker: No hope without work appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.