PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says government has taken a decision to scrap a Water and Sewerage Authority ( WASA) transformation plan created under its PNM predecessor.
In making this announcement at a post-cabinet news conference at the Red House in Port of Spain on Thursday May 15, Persad-Bissessar ripped up a copy of this transformation plan to the applause of government ministers and Public Services Association (PSA) president Felicia Thomas who attended the conference.
Among the ministers applauding Persad-Bissessar's actions was Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste, Thomas' immediate predecessor as PSA president. The PSA represents the majority of WASA's workers.
Persad-Bissessar said, "Today, the Cabinet rescinded the previous cabinet decision of the PNM to brutalise, demonise and attack WASA workers, WASA management."
She added that changes to WASA's management structure have resulted in savings of over $30 million annually.
"That then we can use to go into critical areas of national development." Persad-Bissessar said there have already been improvements in water delivery in some parts of the country.
She praised the PSA for opposing the PNM's WASA transformational plan.
"We (UNC) worked with the PSA. The PSA stood with you (workers) to defend your jobs in WASA." Persad-Bissessar urged WASA workers to now do their part to ensure the authority delivers water for all.
"You know the saying, 'one hand doesn't clap.' We need two. One hand does not clap but you know what? One hand can slap!" Persad-Bissessar said, "Let's put the two together and clap." She added this was what WASA workers asked for.
"We have honoured our promise and we ask you now, let's put our hands together. All hands on the wheel and deliver water for all."
ONLY 16% HAS
24-HR SUPPLY
Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath supported Persad-Bissessar's views. He said that for the past nine years, only 16 per cent of TT received a 24-hour water supply.
Padarath described WASA's current management structure as top heavy, "with 34 executive positions (whose salaries) totalling over $74 million." He claimed under the PNM, there was a focus on big jobs "for the boys and girls in the party" and he promised to provide more details on this at a later date. He claimed some of the names would shock the nation.
[caption id="attachment_1155326" align="alignnone" width="1024"] STILL AROUND...FOR NOW: WASA CEO Keithroy Halliday. - File photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]
He identified south, central and east Trinidad as areas which were starved of water supply.
Padarath claimed the PNM did not use a US$200 million loan it received from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) during its two terms in office in order to improve water resources and supplies to the nation.
He said some of WASA's pipeline infrastructure dated back to the 1960s and has not been upgraded. Padarath repeated Persad-Bissessar's assurance that scrapping of the PNM's restructuring plan would not result in any job losses at WASA.
He said incumbe
