Employees face uncertain future following budget cuts |14 December 2017
The future of 10 employees from the Paradis des Enfants, two from the National Consumers Forum (Natcof) and one from the Federation of Employers is bleak and uncertain as they wait to see what will befall them following the announcement that their entity’s budget from government will be cut next year.
While the Paradis des Enfants will be allocated only R1 million for the first quarter of the year to allow it time to review and redefine its operations, the other two bodies will have no budget and the employees have to start looking for a new job.
In our attempts to get details of the employees’ situation yesterday, the acting chief executive of Paradis des Enfants was vague, saying that they too learned of the budget cut in the media like everybody else and to date they are still waiting to know what will happen to them.
She added that to date no high officials from neither the Ministry of Finance, nor the Assembly or elsewhere have come to reassure them in anyway.
The same applies for Natcof and the Federation of Employers. While the chairperson of Natcof was not ready to make any comments, Michelle Labrosse who has been running the Federation of Employers’ office for the past 19 years noted that while she will probably have to look for another job next year, she is hoping that the federation will still remain but its role and functions be redefined as it still has its relevance in the tripartite consultations between the Ministry of Employment, employers and employees -- a strong recommendation of the International Labour organisation (ILO).
She pointed out that the Ministry of Employment’s relation with the ILO, SADC, AU among others of which it is a member may also be strongly affected if the 3rd party is no longer there.
Meanwhile the principal secretary for finance Patrick Payet said yesterday that representatives from his ministry are expected to meet with employees of the three concerned entities next week to discuss matters related to their future.