PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Acting Prime Minister Errol McLeod says he has been receiving death threats as the four-month old People’s Partnership government moves to tackle corruption within the controversial Unemployment Relief Programme (URP).
McLeod, who is also the Minister of Labour, told the Senate that the threats were being sent by text to his cellphone.
“You try to address the situation, you try to correct it, and then you get all kinds of messages. You get texts, you get letters and so on, threatening to ‘put out your lights’.”
He told legislators that the URP, which has been plagued by criminal acts in the past, would be converted from an alleged vote bank set up by the then People’s National Movement (PNM) government to serve all citizens regardless of party affiliation.
“To introduce that, Madam Vice President, is going to take quite an effort,” he said, noting that there were several “ghost” gangs operating within the URP system.
“There are those who see an opportunity to enrich themselves by all kinds of mysterious means,” he said, noting that the budget for the URP had moved from TT$382 million (BDS$127.2 million) last year to TT$403 million (BDS$134.2 million) this year.
He said that people aged between 18 and 25 years old had been excluded from the URP and that the government was examining a new policy that would replace pensioners over age 65 years who are receiving a pension from participating in the programme.
The labour minister also said that some employers were paying workers way below the minimum wage that was set last week at TT$12.50 (BDS$4.16) an hour.
He said even before the new figures were announced the employers were paying TT$6 (BDS$2) instead of the TT$9 (BDS$2.10 cents) per hour.
The former trade unionist urged workers to join trade unions here and said there were plans to amend the the Industrial Relations Act, so as to make it easier to join.
“We will bring justice to any employer who denies workers the right to join a union,” he said. (CMC)