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  • 3 months ago
No one from CEPEP Tobago would be sent home. This from Chief Secretary Farley Augustine who said workers have nothing to fear as the model in Tobago is different from Trinidad. Mr. Augustine also agreed with the Justice Mohammed order in Trinidad that the CEPEP matter before the courts, be forwarded to the DPP for consideration. Elizabeth Williams has more
Transcript
00:00It warrants investigation from the DPP. But for us in Tobago, I think we are in a superior place.
00:07Our model is superior. Our model is worker-focused.
00:13And we have done all we can to improve the conditions to workers, improve the salaries to workers,
00:19and ensure that workers are happier.
00:23And it's important to understand that we get a fraction of what is really required to pay CPEP workers.
00:34Because I think we get around, what, $18 million to manage the CPEP program.
00:39The THA spends upwards of $70 million across the entire year.
00:44Mr. Agustin said no workers at CPEP Tobago should fare for their jobs compared to Trinidad
00:51as the model is different in Tobago.
00:54Tobago workers will rank and follow the CPEP in Tobago,
00:57remains unaffected because we have a different model in Tobago.
01:01In Trinidad, they use this model of contractors to run the CPEP program.
01:05Now, we hire the workers ourselves and pay the workers ourselves.
01:11So the amount that Trinidad will usually pay to contractors,
01:17all of that goes into actual hiring workers in CPEP in Tobago.
01:23Agustin boasted CPEP workers in Tobago have realised salary increases and better terms and conditions.
01:31More than that, since we came into office, we increased the salaries for CPEP workers.
01:38We improved the terms and working terms and conditions for the CPEP workers since we came into office.
01:44So we are really about the workers, the people.
01:48Not so much about a few at the top who are eating all the food.
01:55And we saw the court case and the way the court case went.
01:58And how the courts had judged those contracts that they were not properly prepared and conceived
02:06and with proper cabinet or executive approvals.
02:10And that to me, I agree with the judge.
02:14The government cancelled 336 CPEP contracts with over 10,000 workers now without jobs.
02:22Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarat previously stated the corruption in CPEP needed to be stopped.
02:29Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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