Former public utilities minister Marvin Gonzales has rubbished claims by the Government that the former administration’s plans for the Water and Sewerage Autho­rity (WASA) were intended to “demonise” workers.

He was speaking at a news conference at Balisier House, Port of Spain, yesterday to dismiss the claims by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-­Bissessar and Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath about the former regime’s National Water Sector Transformation Programme du­ring a post-Cabinet news conference on Thursday evening.

Speaking about the transformation programme, which addressed the executive level of WASA, Gonzales said: “With the filling of the key executive po­si­tions within the autho­rity, it would cost the taxpayers of this country a monthly cost of $2 million and an annual cost of $24 million.