Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 12/Sep 18:45

BIGWU: URP firings unjust, draconian

THE Banking, Insurance and General Workers' Union (BIGWU) has condemned the firing of hundreds of Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) workers, calling it unjust and draconian. It also called on new URP programme manager Feeroz Khan to take responsibility if there are "ghosts" in the programme and resign immediately. Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen, under whom the URP programme falls, said the government is restructuring the programme to root out systemic corruption. Ameen said the firing of some URP workers was a normal procedure following a change of government after an election In a media release on September 12, BIGWU said it represents 600 monthly paid URP workers across 12 regional officers. BIGWU said these workers have been employed there for between ten to 20 years while serving in positions such as regional managers, draftsmen, engineers, regional supervisors (women's programme), personal development officers, accounts clerks, clerical officers and secretaries. BIGWU said the workers were fired without charge and without a right to be heard. "This constitutes not only a blatant violation of good industrial relations practice but also a direct breach of International Labour Organization Convention 158, which is enshrined in the laws of TT..." BIGWU questioned why were the claims of restructuring not mentioned in the dismissal letters. "Why was the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act not applied? Why was due process ignored?" BIGWU said Ameen's assertion that government was being lenient by letting workers stay on for five months after the election was a "shocking admission" of "political abuse of power – a deliberate, draconian, and merciless action against vulnerable subordinates who have devoted their lives to public service." BIGWU added, "These workers are not ghosts – they are people." It called for an immediate reinstatement of all the unjustly fired workers and said it would not rest until justice is served. The post BIGWU: URP firings unjust, draconian appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.