Misleading Statement By JTUM On Retrenchment

The statement attributed to the Leader of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) that the Government had planned mass retrenchment of public sector employees at this time and that this was staved off by Labour’s request for a moratorium on this action is absolutely misleading.

It was always Labour’s contention that Government was engaging in mass layoffs even though that was not true and the Government was at pains to point out that Government’s actions were the opposite, meant to keep as many persons in employment even as the country’s finances posed a serious challenge to this objective.

Notwithstanding this factual situation Labour insisted on asking for a moratorium until December on something that was neither occurring nor was it planned at this time.

The Government is very disappointed that its efforts at engagement with Labour intending to build trust and cooperation in the national interest can be so easily undermined by self-serving and misleading representation of the facts.