By: Paul Sarran
September 5, 2025
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s announcement that her government will phase out contract employment within the Public Service is a long-awaited reform that has the potential to reshape the lives of thousands of workers in Trinidad and Tobago. Her statement has already received strong endorsement from Public Services Association (PSA) president Felisha Thomas, who declared that contract work is a form of slavery. That description may sound severe, but for many workers, including myself, it captures the lived reality of years of exploitation, insecurity, and manipulation.
I know this reality firsthand. Under the last administration, I was placed on contract and quickly came to understand how such arrangements were used not simply for employment but as political footballs. Renewal of contracts often had little to do with competence or performance and more to do with perceptions of loyalty or silence in the face of wrongdoing. That is why I join Thomas in supporting the Prime Minister’s pledge. It is time to dismantle this system once and for all.
Contract employment has long been presented as a flexible tool for government, but the truth is that it has been a mechanism of exploitation. Workers have served ten, fifteen, even twenty years without being made permanent, denied pensions, vacation leave, or even the basic ability to plan their lives. They cannot confidently approach a bank for a mortgage, nor can they feel secure about their future. Instead, they live with the constant fear that a change in leadership or political climate could mean the sudden end of their livelihood. This insecurity demoralises individuals and destabilises families. It is not decent work; it is institutionalised uncertainty.
The PSA president is right to emphasise that the issue is not about eliminating jobs but dignifying them. The positions already exist. The vacancies are there. The solution is simply to make those roles permanent. Critics may argue that the state cannot afford such a move, but the truth is that contract work has proven costlier in the long run. It inflates wages in the short term and destabilises the workforce, leading to inefficiency and wasted institutional knowledge. A secure, permanent workforce, by contrast, fosters commitment, professionalism, and continuity.
The decision to rely heavily on contract employment was not accidental. Past governments deliberately left permanent positions unfilled, creating a pool of contract workers whose job security depended on political favour. This allowed administrations to maintain control, reward allies, and punish dissenters. Workers who wished to speak out against unfair treatment often found themselves silenced by the fear of non-renewal. Such practices undermined the very essence of good governance.
From a political science perspective, this is not simply a labour issue but a democratic one. A workforce that lives in fear cannot act with impartiality. Civil servants who worry about their contract renewals are less likely to resist political interference, challenge corruption, or uphold professional standards. This corrodes democracy itself, for the institutions of the state become vulnerable to manipulation. By contrast, permanent appointments empower workers to act with independence, confidence, and integrity.
Critics of the reform say the government lacks the resources to make all workers permanent. But the question is not one of affordability; it is one of priorities. The Prime Minister has rightly pledged to find the resources, and in truth, the country has paid a greater price for keeping workers insecure. At agencies such as the Board of Inland Revenue and Customs, the shortage of permanent staff has contributed to inefficiencies in revenue collection. When positions are left vacant or filled with short-term contracts, productivity suffers, and the entire country loses.
As a young political scientist, I urge the government to move swiftly. Every day that passes is another day in which workers remain trapped in limbo, unable to properly plan their lives or contribute with peace of mind. Ending contract employment will not solve every problem facing the Public Service, but it will address one of the most damaging injustices of the past decades. It will also signal to workers that their labour is valued not as a political tool but as a vital contribution to national development.
Felisha Thomas has taken a principled stand in defending workers, and she deserves support. Her voice is not isolated but part of a growing chorus calling for dignity, stability, and fairness. My own experience strengthens my conviction that this system must end now. By abolishing contract employment and filling vacancies with permanent appointments, the government has an opportunity to restore trust, improve efficiency, and strengthen democracy.
This is more than a labour reform; it is a moral decision. It is about whether Trinidad and Tobago will continue to tolerate a system that keeps its workers insecure or whether we will embrace fairness and stability as national values. The time for halfway measures is over. Contract work has failed the people of this country. It is time to end it, once and for all.
(The author is a political scientist in Trinidad and Tobago)
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