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Cepep’s troubled journey: Audit, allegations, anguish

The Community Environment Protection and Enhancement Programme, commonly known as Cepep, has long occupied a controversial space in the nation's longstanding efforts to combat unemployment through make-work initiatives. Born in July 2002 under the leadership of the then Prime Minister, the late Patrick Manning, the programme was established to revamp and modernise employment efforts. Its mission statement was clear: "Working for the nation by protecting, enhancing and building our communities through environmental entrepreneurship." [caption id="attachment_1165239" align="alignnone" width="870"] The Community Environment Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) was started under the administration led by former prime minister, the late Patrick Manning, in 2002. -[/caption] Cepep joined a long tradition of make-work initiatives such as the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), created in the early 1990s. According to the Works and Infrastructure Ministry, URP's principal function is to provide short-term employment for unemployed people on a rotational basis. Other make-work initiatives included the now-defunct Development Employment Work Programme (DEWD), created in the 1960s under the Dr Eric Williams-led administration. DEWD was renamed the Local Initiative and Development (LID) programme in the 1980s. Cepep, touted for its beautification projects, was once vilified and mocked "for painting stones." With changes in administrations over the years, allegations of political interference have arisen in this state enterprise. The termination, with immediate effect, of an estimated 360 contractors on June 27 left approximately 10,500 workers, considered vulnerable and marginalised, on the breadline. On July 2, scores of them protested outside Cepep's office in Ste Madeleine to demand rehire and answers. The affected people, many of them women and single parents, said they rely on Cepep for their livelihood, often working hard under both sun and rain. A 52-year-old woman from Tarodale said she is caring for her 16-year-old son, who attends secondary school. Uncertain how she would care for him financially, she said she would try to find alternative employment to pay her bills. Another woman, from Cocoyea, said she helps to care for her grandchildren. She had been working with Cepep for the past four years. Former worker Anthony Gookool, who worked in the Reform Village area, complained that he has a four-year-old child in kindergarten and pays $1,500 per term, plus transportation. He said he is owing on the transportation, and the sudden termination has made things even more difficult for him. "Right now, getting work is very hard. Even getting work in a supermarket is hard because I would need to get a certificate of character from the police, which takes at least a month to get. I would like to know when and how soon I can expect to receive my work back. We do not know who will be rehired. We want answers," Gookool said. "The money is small, but we make both ends meet at the end of the day. A lot of people voted for change, and we want change. We are fed up with living the same old all the time." He called on the government to give them some relief, saying they are all stressed, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He had been working for two years and six months. The former workers also took their plight to Port of Spain on the afternoon of July 4, again expressing their frustration, disappointment and anger at the mass firings. This group gathered outside the Parliament, where visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was part of a joint sitting. In 2020, Cepep celebrated its 18th anniversary and shared some of its accomplishments in its first edition newsletter, titled "In Touch," which was posted on the Cepep website. As of July 2, the website was removed and listed as "under construction." Part of that newsletter stated it had trained over 250 contractors and their employees in HSSE, accounting, finance, and business entrepreneurship. It added that the programme had engaged over 726 contractors, employed over 85,000 people and carried out over 36,000 community cleaning and maintenance projects. The newsletter said that in 2011, Cepep expanded its services to include coastline clearing. Among Cepep's services was the Dead Animal Removal Team (DART), which provided commercial removal of dead animals from major roadways. Another service was the Disaster Emergency Response Team (DERT), which partnered with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) to assist with cleanup operations during natural disasters. The newsletter quoted then-chairman Marilyn Michael as saying Cepep was designed to promote entrepreneurial spirit while creating training and employment opportunities for citizens. It also quoted CEO Keith Eddy, who highlighted several community engagement initiatives, including a desktop distribution programme and coastal cleaning, as well as waste training and mentorship efforts. Cepep previously fell under the purview of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government. [caption id="attachment_1165240" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath is the current line minister for Cepep. - Photo by Jeff K Mayers[/caption] However, with the change in administration in April, Cepep is now under the Public Utilities Ministry, led by Barry Padarath. Despite widespread criticism over the mass firing, Padarath has defended the government's position, saying it was in the best interest of the country. He commented that for the past ten years, Cepep had been a "runaway horse" and had not met its statutory obligations for the past seven years. Padarath has reiterated that Cepep hired the contractors, not individual workers, and that contractors will receive one month's payment in lieu of notice, enabling them to compensate their workers for the month of July. Padarath said the Finance Ministry's Central Audit Committee had raised concerns about Cepep's hiring and procurement practices. He insisted that the government uncovered several irregularities in how the programme was spending money and conducting operations. Even as the audit is ongoing, the Opposition has pledged its support to the dismissed workers and contractors, offering legal assistance. The Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) and Michael Annisette, general secretary of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC), have issued separate media statements, stating that they stand in solidarity with former workers.   The post Cepep’s troubled journey: Audit, allegations, anguish appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.