Elder: CEPEP terminations necessary due to 'corruption'

FORMER trade unionist and current Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities Clyde Elder says the Government's move to terminate all Community- Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) contracts was necessary due to corruption, but pledged to take care of affected workers.

Elder, who spoke on the matter during an interview with I95.5 FM yesterday morning, said the decision had come after years of what he referred to as 'mind-boggling' and 'disgusting' corruption within the programme, which he alleged involved members of the former People's National Movement (PNM) administration.

Elder, the former secretary general of the Communication Workers' Trade Union, who was elected as Member of Parliament for La Brea under the United National Congress (UNC) Coalition of Interests in April, was on Sunday named by PNM Senator Faris Al-Rawi among union leaders who had yet to address the terminations. Al-Rawi said that thousands of workers employed by the terminated contractors were now left on the breadline without a steady form of employment.