Valdeen Shears-Neptune
A group of five contractors with the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) is contemplating seeking legal advice about their contracts with the Cepep Company Ltd.
One contractor from south Trinidad, who did not wish to be named, said meetings had been held since the company published notices last month calling for the submission of pre-qualification packages by January 15 and contractors feared that it meant their current contracts would be ended.
“We don’t think this should apply to us, as our contracts still have some life left in them. We could understand if our contracts had come to an end and they asked for this.
“Maybe for the new contractors trying to get in, not us, so we just waiting and looking at the feedback from the chairman. We don’t really know what happening yet, we waiting to see how this going to affect us and the time we have left on our contracts,” stated the contractor.
The contractor was reluctant to state the expiration date of their contracts.
CEPEP’s chairman, Trevor Lynch, said last week that he was not at all disturbed by the contractors’ stance.
Lynch queried the termination date of the contracts.
“Ask him to be open. What is the end date of their contracts? When were they renewed and for how long,” he said.
According to Lynch, the CEPEP Company Ltd, which falls under the Ministry of Public Utilities, is revisiting its original mandate which is to “provide jobs to the vulnerable and socially challenged, which presently amounts to over 15,000 people, (who) include single parents, particularly single mothers.”
And, he said, the contracts were never meant to be permanent, but rather to assist with the development of those businesses and to promote entrepreneurship.
“Once revisited, suitably qualified contractors will be purposefully trained and empowered to engage in environmental entrepreneurship activity, with the intention to increase the standard of work and output by the CEPEP programme,” the release stated.
Balroop Binda, who works under the Coastal Improvement and Cleanup (Marine) unit of CEPEP, also expressed fears of losing his job. He said he hoped that officials recognise that the country’s coast need more than “just people to clean it up”.
“While they (CEPEP) will bring in new contractors and we expected this with the change in government, just like with the previous administration, we the marine workers/contractors, hope they see this as specialised and not just allow new workers who may not know the demands and expectations of the job, to do the job.
“This is not just a job for us, its about the environment, conservation and maintaining safety measures to protect both human and animals,” he stated.
Binda said many might not know, but it was a dangerous job, with daily exposure to snakes, bees and Jack Spaniards, which could prove fatal if one was allergic.
The division was established in 2012 .
CEPEPs website states “ the Coastal Improvement and Clean Up exercise is a continuous exercise and is intended to create awareness among our Citizens regarding the damage caused to the environment by littering and not taking care of our environment particularly tourist destinations, and to encourage our Nationals to be environmentally conscious during leisure activities”.
Lynch, however, assured all aspects of the programme will be considered during the appointment of new contractors and the re-applications of existing ones.