Georgetown : The Alliance For Change (AFC) says scores of employees of the soon to be dissolved National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) that they are being threatened and coerced to sign on to job offers with the newly created National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the terms and conditions of which they are totally unaware of. The new entity commences operations on 1st May 2011.
The employees prefer to accept their severance benefits which they are entitled to under the Termination of Employment and Severance Payment Act and under their collective agreement between NARI and their union: the Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers signed in July 1992.
They are being threatened by officials including an Attorney at Law Mr. Seepersaud that if they do not sign, it would mean voluntary withdrawal from employ and hence non-entitlement to severance payments.
The AFC views this as trickery and an outrage on NAREI's part and a complete somersault of the position taken by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud who made it quite clear in Parliament when the NAREI Bill was being debated that all employees of the old entity (NARI) would be entitled to severance benefits if they did not want to be employed with the new entity (NAREI).
The employees prefer to be paid their severance payments, then they would thereafter determine whether they want to work with the new entity. This the new entity is seeking to avoid. The employees total some 270 and will suffer losses approximating $100m if the new entity is allowed to have its way. This the AFC regards as theft of workers hard earned property.
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