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A Cabinet-approved transformation and restructuring plan for the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) will lead to approximately 213 executive members of staff being out of a job by early next year in phase 1 of the cost-cutting exercise. This was revealed by Minister of Public Utilities, Marvin Gonzales, during a Press Conference on Thursday (28th July 2022), who said the plan had only been approved hours earlier by the Cabinet. WASA’s executive management staff currently stands at 426 and the transformation and restructuring plan recommends a 50% reduction. The plan is expected to be rolled out over a fifteen (15) to twenty (20) month period. Minister Gonzales said WASA’s Chairman, Ravindra Nanga, would be “written to and given the mandate to immediately commence the transformation process” upon receipt of the confirmed Cabinet minutes on Thursday. He added, “Now that the instruction is going over to the board to implement the restructuring and transformation process, the board is to return to the Ministry of Public Utilities and once I get the information and the instructions and the brief from the board with respect to the cost of this first phase in the restructuring process…that matter will be taken to the Cabinet and I will be liaising with my colleague, the Minister of Finance, to get the necessary financing to commence the transformation process.” Minister Gonzales said WASA will take on a new structure that will see five (5) service areas headed by five (5) managers who will directly report to the Chief Executive Officer. He said the level of management must be reduced to ensure WASA runs more efficiently and is not caught up in too much red tape.
Assuring that no move will be made to reduce the 5,000-strong workforce before discussions are had with the Recognized Majority Unions (RMUs), the Minister noted that both the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and the Public Services Association (PSA) had also agreed that WASA was overstaffed. He said, “They have put forward on the table that when we have reached that point…they prefer the implementation of a Voluntary Separation of Employment (VSEP). I think there is general understanding that there will be some displacements.” He said the plan will bring WASA in line with modern operating systems and also lead to new job opportunities for both former workers who can be retooled and young persons seeking employment. The Minister, hopeful the restructuring plan will serve to reduce WASA’s operating budget by 25%, said, “The board is also mandated to ensure that its revenue collection is increased by $1 billion.” Also speaking at the Press Conference on Thursday, WASA Chairman Ravindra Nanga said, “At the lower levels…before any action is taken, negotiations will take place.” Referring to the restructuring plan, he stressed, “This is not a retrenchment exercise.” He said it was a dynamic plan and extensive efforts had gone into identifying WASA’s problems and shortcomings. Adding that, with very serious inefficiencies taking place and critical issues needing to be addressed, “We are starting at the top,” Nanga said. [Source: T&T Guardian] We are a small operation. If you've found our articles to be informative, please consider supporting us via PayPal or buying us a coffee. Your contribution is incredibly appreciated and goes a long way. Simply sharing our articles also helps us. Sign up for our free WhatsApp Alerts to be notified as soon as we post breaking news. NEW! Check out our Merchandise Store for high-quality t-shirts, hats and more!
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