I write in response to (a letter) in the Sunday Guardian of July 17th, 2016, with the heading “How can you make informed statements without all the facts, Mr. Antoine” penned by Tracy Shields of Wallerfied.
Firstly, I thank Ms. Shields for the information contained within her letter. This is the kind of information that needs to be shared as we move forward to find solutions to the numerous problems that plague many of our state enterprises.
The heading of the letter, extracted by the Sunday Guardian, however, seeks to imply that a definitive statement was released by me, as Minister on the T&TEC issue. I did say that workers must be held accountable and that we seek to obtain maximum productivity from all workers. I also indicated that Management would be held accountable to ensure that this level of productivity was in fact achievable. This part of the discourse, sadly was never reported.
As Ms Shields rightfully stated, this is an issue that has been ongoing for a number of years, however, the Band Aid fixes will no longer be entertained. This issue requires a holistic, systematic investigation before a final solution can be achieved. This will not happen overnight.
The supply of substandard material, the hoarding of material, the numerous incidents of non-functioning equipment and vehicles as alluded to in the letter, all of these affect the overall efficiency of workers and all of these are caused by poor management practices. As I have stated from the inception, I remain committed to hearing all sides of the issue and to engaging with stakeholders in a meaningful way. Through the Board, all of these issues will be addressed, I as Minister, however will not micro manage any of the agencies under my Ministries purview. As Minister with responsibility for Public Utilities, it is my duty to ensure that at the end of the day, the taxpayers of this country get value for their money and I remain committed to ensuring that this is achieved.
Minister Public Utilities
Ancil Antoine