People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Pennelope Beckles has urged the Government and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to take immediate action to support displaced workers across Trinidad and Tobago.
“Under the current leadership of Trinidad and Tobago, thousands of citizens lost their jobs suddenly, and the effect on many families has been extremely detrimental,” Beckles said.
“As the grass grows all over the nation, so too grows the people’s frustration and sense of deep hopelessness.”
She criticised the Government for offering “no plan, no support, no care for their families or children,” adding that it has chosen to “leave the vulnerable destitute; a travesty of unimaginable proportions, with the gravest of consequences.”
Beckles said the PNM demands that the Government act now “to show love and care, and to help our most vulnerable, before more people pay the ultimate price as the government prioritises scoring cheap political points.”
She highlighted the plight of the displaced Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme, Unemployment Relief Programme, National Reafforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme workers, saying: “Too many men, women and children are suffering. The UNC must have a heart and help these workers now, before it is too late.”
The PNM expressed condolences to the family of Richard Cooper, a San Fernando man who died on August 19. Cooper, 51, was found unresponsive at his home. He recently became unemployed after five years with the National Reafforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme under the Rural Development Company.
After over 300 CEPEP contractors were terminated at the end of June, affecting over 10,000 workers, the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services said they could seek various forms of assistance, including professional counselling and social assistance grants.
