Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, right, chats with Paramin residents during a visit to the area earlier this month.
A major shake-up is expected to take place soon at state-owned Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), as Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales moves to make the organisation efficient come 2021.
Part of the restructuring exercise may lead to job losses, a cut in overtime, an overhaul of the management, and will include the introduction of technology to detect leaking pipelines and low water pressure in communities.
The disclosure came from Gonzales last week, just days after a detailed report on WASA’s lingering issues along with recommendations to transform the beleaguered organisation into a productive and profitable one was submitted to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for review. For decades, WASA has been plagued with a host of problems that no government has been able to address.
SWWTU president
Michael Annisette.
The decision by Angostura to withhold workers’ interim incentives even after they had met their quota and failure to consult with the union before doing so, triggered them to down tools and shut down operations on Wednesday. So said Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union President Michael Annisette, who insited that the workers protested for “incentives and not bonuses.”
The workers have since returned to work. A release from the company on Thursday said an agreement was reached between Angostura and the union on Wednesday evening.
The union head answered several questions by the Sunday Guardian concerning the workers’ situation.
‘Maduro and his backers not sanctions are to blame’; US reject culpability for Venezuela crisis
“[…] It is Maduro and his backers not sanctions who are to blame for the Venezuelan people suffering dire economic, political, and human rights conditions, and have caused millions to flee their homes since he assumed power.
“The Venezuela sanctions program is designed to limit the Maduro regime’s sources of revenue and promote accountability for those who stand in the way of restoring democracy in Venezuela…”
The following press statement on the impact of US sanctions on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela was released by the United States Embassy in Trinidad:
Trinidad PM summons Venezuela Ambassador to meeting on migrants stabroeknews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stabroeknews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maduro madrugó para invitar a los venezolanos a votar: “Llegó el día”
Las parlamentarias de este domingo no cuentan con el apoyo internacional ni con la oposición venezolana, liderada por Juan Guaidó
A biometric security company in Venezuela has been sanctioned by the United States for providing “goods and services that the (Nicolas) Maduro regime used to carry out the fraudulent December 6, 2020 parliamentary elections.”
In an update to its sanctioned listing yesterday, the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it had added the biometric security company based in Caracas for supporting embattled Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro.