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alexk
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The Port-of-Spain City Corporation council yesterday moved and passed a motion to have its city engineer removed and replaced for non-performance on the job, saying they had lost all confidence in him.
The motion was raised by a visibly upset Belmont North and West councillor Akil Durham during the corporation’s statutory meeting, which was chaired by acting Mayor Hillan Morean.
Durham was one of three councillors who raised an issue with the engineer, claiming he had been failing in his duties and upsetting scores of burgesses when things were not done. He cited several areas in his electoral district that needed repairs which the engineer ignored.
Councillors Abena Hartley and Allan Samuel also expressed dissatisfaction with the engineer’s poor work ethics, saying when things are not done they are painted in a bad light by burgesses who had lost faith and trust in them.
Durham said works at East Dry River had been recorded as being done “but were not done,” which he described as unacceptable.
“We had asked this engineer to pay close attention to the works done by his department. He has primary supervision of all institutions of the Port-of-Spain Corporation,” he said.
Durham said they also had issues with the transport and cleansing department.
“We have first the issue of overtime. From the time you see we have an issue of overtime…I am speaking as the chair of finance, it means that your workforce is not being properly managed,” he said, adding the council understands the financial constraints T&T has been facing.
“On several occasions we have asked the engineer to snap the whip on his managers to get a hold on that runaway horse that we call overtime, because it is crippling the corporation. Because why it is we are paying exorbitant sums of money in overtime because of lack of management and proper supervision of workers.”
Durhan said they have heard that daily and monthly paid workers would come to work at 9 am and leave by 11 am, which was against their collective bargaining agreement. He said the corporation has to protect the public’s purse.
Durham said the engineer had breached his fiduciary duty and owed burgesses a duty of loyalty and care. The engineer, who sat throughout the meeting, never defended himself. After the complaints were highlighted he walked out.
Having listened to Durham, Morean said they would communicate with the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government “that we have lost confidence in the engineer and we request that a suitable replacement be assigned to the Port-of-Spain Corporation as soon as conveniently possible. Be further resolved that the chief executive office communicate this resolution to the statutory authority service commission.”
The entire council agreed on the move.
Morean refused to provide a cell contact for the engineer, advising the media to call its CEO Annette Stapleton-Seaforth for his number. However, several calls last night to Seaforth’s cell phone went unanswered.