Finance Minister Colm Imbert says Government’s decision to freeze the awarding of all new contracts for employment, goods and services will be modified today.
This modification will allow permanent secretaries of ministries and chairmen of State agencies and regional corporations to enter new contracts after a directive was issued by the Finance Ministry last Saturday.
Imbert was responding to a query by the T&T Guardian yesterday after chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation (SRC) Leo Doodnath told protesting casual workers their contracts could not be renewed because of the ministry’s directive.
However, Imbert explained the directive did not mean that workers’ contracts would not be renewed but instead barred officials from bringing on people who had no previous agreements. The freeze was necessary as they learned contracts were being awarded for hundreds of millions of dollars, Imbert said.
“The instructions relate to new contracts for goods and services and new contracts of employment, not existing contracts. Secondly, the instructions will be modified by tomorrow to restore some discretion to accounting officers in the various State agencies so that routine operations will not be affected.
“It was necessary to put a temporary freeze on new contracts with the change of Government because some of the agencies were continuing to operate after the election as if there had been no change in administration and were in the process of entering into large multi-million dollar transactions without the requisite oversight,” Imbert said.
He said with Government now being in office for five days, they now have a better understanding of what is going on.
Workers cry victimisation
Earlier on, contract workers protested outside the Siparia corporation after their contracts were not renewed.
Cemetery caretakers, workers at public conveniences and those who cut grass said they were fearful of not being able to provide for their families and claimed it was victimisation with the change of Government. Workers also said they were not paid for last month’s work.
Responding to the workers, Doodnath said the corporation got an instruction from the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Local Government, Angela Edwards, advising that all contracted employment be put on hold.
He said that had also kept back the repairs of ten road projects.