Government is investigating the dismissal of eight employees from the T&T Consulate in New York, according to reliable sources yesterday. The workers were dismissed last month after failing an exam they claim they were not prepared for. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran was unavailable for comment on the matter over the past few days because he is reportedly ill. The consulate workers, with their length of service ranging from seven months to 23 years, are demanding their jobs back and have asked the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) to assist in that regard. One of the dismissed workers, Angelina Ramlal said no one from the Government had contacted them since their dismissal. She said she would like to know "why were the workers at the consulate in New York being singled out for such unfair treatment."
She said the New York Consulate was probably the busiest T&T mission in the US and served the largest T&T?population. She said such wholesale firings never take place at T&T missions in Washington and Miami. "We are not involved in politics. We don't even get to vote at election time," she insisted. She said the workers were not prepared for the exam as it was not the norm for it to be given and at such short notice. Ramlal said the former workers were also never presented with the results. "I don't know if I got one mark out of 100 or zero out of 100," she said. In a July 7 letter to Ambassador to Washington Neil Parsan, Ramlal said she was brought to tears after being informed of her dismissal. She recalled being told by Consul Urvashi Ramnarine: "You need to give me your name tag and key card. You are to pack your personal stuff because I have to escort you out. If you need a box, I can get you one." Ramlal said she had to walk to the train station with three bags to await the arrival of her husband. She said she had not received her gratuity for a previous contract period with the consulate which ended about a year ago.
