Councillors upset after some contract workers fired from St. Catherine MC

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

Some members of the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation have taken a hardline stance against the dismissal of some contract workers who recently received notice of termination at the local authority.

 

Following a municipal corporation meeting Thursday, Chairman Norman Scott said some council members voted against the dismissal of the workers.

 

Mr. Scott explained that the move is part of a restructuring exercise to change the employment status of some workers from contract to permanent.

 

"A listing was done about possibly nearly a year period; they've been going through this programme, and what we do know is that we have had persons on contract from before I came here and it continues. A number of staff were not taken into this programme. And so what we saw is that letters were given where persons would be terminated at the end of March."

 

Mr. Scott said a number of workers have been affected. 

 

The councillors on Thursday voted to have the termination letters rescinded and for the CEO of the municipal corporation to take the matter to human resources for a resolution. 

 

The restructuring exercise affects several departments including those trained as municipal police officers.

 

Mr. Scott said the exercise could affect some operations at the corporation. 

 

"The council is not overstaffed. As a matter of fact, there are some areas of the council that still [are] short-staffed," he said, noting that this is to blame for the corporation's delay in preparing financial statements among other things. 

 

He said he is unsure whether the directive came from the Local Government Ministry as well as its impact on other local authorities.

 

Mr. Scott said he was only made aware of the issue this week, despite being informed that meetings on the matter were being held as far back as October 2024.