With schools on a break for two months and families preparing to head to Tobago, plans may not run as smoothly as expected as ferry sailings are expected to be delayed.
This as the port police promise to intensify their actions if monies, which they say have been owed to them for years, are not paid.
President of the Port Authority Police Department, Estate Police Association (EPA) Branch board, Richard Ryan, said officers were fed up and frustrated.
He said officers stayed away from conducting overtime duties earlier this week as well as yesterday from 4 am to 7 am and from 5 am to 7 am at the Ferry Terminal and at a location referred to as “West Gate.”
“The operations at these two points start at that time. In order to man those areas we are talking about 13 officers.
“The issues are back pay owed and non-implementation of salaries over a five-year period,” Ryan added.
On whether the association had written to the Finance Minister seeking intervention, he said the latest information he received from port officials was that intervention was being sought in the matter.
“The port told us they have written to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works seeking some sort of intervention but the port is now telling us that after 11 months...we would have signed off to that agreement in August 2015 and it is only when the action by the officers was taken from Monday the Port would have now reacted by now writing the PS,” Ryan added.
He said within the coming weeks the situation was expected to worsen, especially regarding claims that former port officers were contracted $10,000 monthly to take up the slack.
“My information is that they are on short term. I believe it is for a month and they are working as authorised employees to help man some of the areas. Those officers would have retired within the last two to three years so they have money as well within that back pay payment.
“The interesting thing is that there are allegations they are paid $10,000 a month and that is more than what our constables are getting now,” Ryan said.
He said if such allegations were true the situation would be further adversely affected. But he made it clear that the EPA in no way encouraged the action.
Ryan also maintained that the security at the port would not be negatively affected.
“I was asked by a particular civilian manager for a key for a particular check-in point where we check the vehicles going on the ferry and I refused to give that manager the key because it would have led to a breach of security as no officer would have been at that point,” Ryan said.
Added to this the compound was rat infested and facilities, including the sinks were in a deplorable condition, he said.