Employees of the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), who are charged with safeguarding the lives of workers across the public and private sector, are now appealing for answers from the relevant authorities as to their continued employment at the State agency after more than ten inspectors were sent home pending contract renewal.
According to some of the aggrieved workers whose contracts ended on August 18, there have been no communication from management on the issue. One inspector with nine years service said he and his colleagues were left in abeyance after their contracts ended and were now uncertain as to their continued employment.
There were 13 inspectors employed by the agency, each of whom has nine years service.
Of this number, two of them have post-graduate degrees while the remainder possess multiple under-graduate and post-graduate degrees.
The employees have accused Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus of neglecting their cries for help.
He said they were sent home and told to await word on whether or not their three-year contracts would be renewed.
Last Friday, the workers were prevented from entering the agency’s office on St James Street, San Fernando, while simultaneously at the Port-of-Spain office on Duke Street, two employees were seen completing a report for the acting executive director Carolyn Sancho.
The aggrieved inspectors questioned how that had been allowed as those inspectors also belonged to the cycle of affected officers whose contracts had ended on August 18.
Baptiste-Primus confirmed, via text message, that the renewal of the contracts was engaging her attention and she had “requested the performance appraisals for the officers which should have been submitted along with the contract reviews.”
Regarding the outstanding gratuity payments, Baptiste-Primus added: “That will be addressed in due course. We are very mindful of the officers anxiety. The process would be completed in a short while.”
She said the agency had a very high staff turnover. The inspectors estimated that the current workforce comprised one person in San Fernando, three in Port-of-Spain and two in Tobago to service the entire country.
Regarding the occupation of the OSHA office at Alexandra Street, St Clair, which was said to be overcrowded as fire officials had only approved 17 people to be on the premises but the workforce had close to 30 people working there daily, Baptiste-Primus directed that such answers be obtained from OSHA officials.
Attempts to reach the acting executive director on Monday and yesterday proved futile, while HR manager, Cory Harrison, declined to comment.