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In a bold move, the Kamla Persad-­Bissessar Government this year terminated make-work programmes that had been a staple of Trinidad and Tobago’s economy and sociology for over six decades. The Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) were shuttered between July and September 2025; workers attached to the National Reforestation and Watershed Programme were also separated.

In a series of interviews from July to November, political historian and activist, the late Ferdie Ferreira, spoke with Dr Sheila Rampersad about the history of make-work and his thoughts on Persad-Bissessar’s radical effort at reform.

Part 1