The Estate Police Association (EPA) has intervened to find alternative work for 800 security officers whose contract with the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) ended prematurely because of an outstanding debt of over $100 million.
Yesterday, vice-president of the EPA, Ancil John-Nicholas, confirmed he requested a meeting with T&T Security Services’ (TTSS) general manager, Towfeek Ali, today to try and absorb some of the workers in other security firms.
Ali on Tuesday ordered his security guards to cease duty on all of WASA’s compounds after he claimed his $146 million contract had been breached by non-payment of fees.
Since then, the workers, who were represented by the EPA, have been home.
In light of this move, WASA had to call out the army and police to guard its Navet, Caroni and Arena reservoirs and other assets.
Attorney Nyree Alfonso, who is a director of TTSS and Ali’s wife, said WASA issued a letter yesterday to TTSS, informing them they had terminated its three-year contract.
Alfonso said she was baffled by the move, since she had notified WASA since Tuesday, via email, that they would no longer engage its contract due to non-payment on their part.
“Do you terminate a contract twice? That letter sent by WASA this morning was very disappointing. If I have to take as a signal whether WASA wishes to engage with me for the purposes of reaching a settlement, I get the answer loud and clear. It is clear to me that WASA does not give a hoot. I am putting my house in order to go to court,” she added.
Alfonso said they have agreed to meet with the EPA and its executive at its Chaguanas office.
“What bothers me is that I am terminating 800 people. The families of these 800 people will also be affected. I don’t know if politicians do not take on those things.
“Those things trouble me greatly. We are meeting to see dynamically what is the best thing that we can do. We might be able to hold on to some people (workers),” Alfonso said.
TTSS has not paid its security officers for April which amounts to $3.5 million.
John-Nicholas said the EPA would try its best to absorb the security officers into private firms.
“These firms are always woefully undermanned and need security officers. This is one avenue we are looking at,” he said.
WASA’s chairman Romney Thomas said yesterday the company continued to engage the services of private contractors, the police and army to guard its reservoirs and facilities where water was stored and distributed.
“We have everything under control,” Thomas said in a telephone interview.