They are part of the “Get A Life” program but this evening about 50 youths almost caused a riot at the Housing Department. They were there to collect their money, $50 for a week’s work but claimed the Ministry of Housing cut their pay. For some background, the program was launched by former Minister of Housing Ralph Fonseca. The youths between the ages of 14 and 18 were given on the job training in carpentry, construction, and other trades. For their work they are supposed to get that $50 as a stipend but they claim that their already small stipend has been cut.
Youth #1,
“They are shorting we our pay right now. The most a man get is $30 and it is $50 a week they should be giving us. Last week I worked five days and they only gave me $40. I didn’t stretch no talking, I just took it and whipped.”
Youth #2,
“Me right here, I worked the whole week, I work from Monday to Friday and I went into the spot and the lady told me only $20 she has to give me. I told the lady how can she only give me $20 and I come from Monday to Friday and she told me that’s all I’ll get.”
Youth #3,
“We came way down here and the policemen are still harassing us and that is we don’t like.”
Keith Swift,
What kind of work you guys do?
Youth #4,
“We do plumbing and kinds of things, we lay pipes and blocks and those kinds of things.”
Youth #5,
“I hate when those police bother us because we came for our pay this evening.”
Youth #6,
“The program is curry and thing, you build the house and thing same way. The program nice but when it comes to the money and thing they try to silly us and when we go up there sometimes, they bring police and make the police harass us for nothing.”
Youth #1,
“Me noh happy with this government because when the PUP were in, they gave us good things to eat, they give we our money every time, and as UDP win from last week they brought us here and started to short us of our money.”
New Minister of Housing Michael Finnegan says the program will continue but it will be transferred to where it rightfully should be – the Ministry of Youth. He says the youths were paid and today’s situation was as a consequence of the transition.
