More Than 1,000 Ten-On, Ten-Off Workers' Contracts Terminated as THA Restructures Infrastructure Workforce

The contracts of more than 1,000 ten-on, ten-off workers employed by the Tobago House of Assembly’s (THA) Division of Infrastructure have been terminated, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine confirmed during a media conference at the Hochoy Charles Administrative Complex in Calder Hall yesterday.

The move, first signalled by Augustine during a plenary sitting in June, brings an end to a long-running rotating work arrangement that has been a lifeline for many Tobagonian households. At the time of the initial announcement, Augustine said the THA had extended the programme until August to minimise disruption for workers, particularly as families prepared their children for the new school term. He also suggested that some employees could transition into permanent positions, noting that several vacancies within the Division of Public Infrastructure needed to be filled.

However, Augustine expressed frustration yesterday that the division had yet to provide an updated list of vacancies. He contrasted this with the Division of Community Development and Social Protection, which had completed the process more than a month ago, resulting in over 158 daily-rated workers being made permanent. His goal, he said, is to have all positions within the infrastructure division filled before the end of the fiscal year, with the last assessment identifying nearly 700 vacancies within the division.

Disappointment Over Slow Administrative Progress

Augustine did not hide his displeasure with the pace of work coming out of the Division of Public Infrastructure. “I am disappointed the Division of Public Infrastructure is not near where I expected them to be in terms of completing their vacancy list and obtaining sign-off from the union,” he said.

Citing the slow pace of administrative processes within the THA, Augustine said he had established a seven-member committee to take charge of compiling the vacancy list. The committee, he explained, is intended to cut through the bureaucratic delays that have plagued the process, ensuring that the division can move swiftly toward filling the hundreds of open positions.

The frustration is understandable. In a small island economy like Tobago’s, where public-sector employment is a cornerstone of the labour market, delays in administrative processes have direct consequences for families waiting on a steady income. The school term is already underway, and many households that relied on the ten-on, ten-off arrangement are now facing an uncertain financial landscape.

Not a Cost-Saving Exercise, Says Chief Secretary

Asked how much money the THA would save by ending the programme, Augustine pushed back against the framing of the decision as a cost-saving measure. “I don’t know if I want to look at it as saving money because this programme resulted in direct spending in the Tobago economy. I wouldn’t at all say that by not having the programme we are saving. By not having the programme, there is less liquidity in the local Tobago space,” he said.

His comments speak to a deeper reality of island economies. When state work programmes are scaled back, the effects ripple outward — through the small shops in Scarborough, the taxi drivers ferrying workers to job sites, the vendors at the markets in Calder Hall and beyond. Cash that once circulated through the local economy now sits idle, and for a community that depends heavily on tourism, fishing, and small business, every dollar matters.

The ten-on, ten-off model has long been a feature of state work programmes in Trinidad and Tobago, including the national Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and CEPEP. These schemes are designed to stretch limited public funds across as many households as possible, offering workers ten days of employment followed by ten days off. While the arrangement provides some income, it offers little in the way of security — no guaranteed hours, no benefits, and no clear path to permanence.

Pathway to Permanent Employment

Augustine’s vision, as outlined yesterday, is to move workers from these precarious arrangements into the establishment — the formal, unionised structure of the THA. He addressed how the vacancies would be filled, saying workers already within the establishment would get first preference.

“Throughout the THA, we have varying categories of workers. Those who are on the establishment, meaning our unionised workers who are part of a set organisational structure established either by Cabinet and/or the THA, will from time to time encounter vacancies within that structure,” he explained.

“The first step is always to promote those already within the establishment to higher positions, and then fill the vacancies at the bottom. Those 700 vacancies would most definitely be at the bottom of the establishment rather than at the top,” he said.

This approach reflects a careful balancing act. By promoting from within first, the THA aims to reward existing workers and maintain morale, while also opening up entry-level positions for those coming in from development programmes and the Unemployment Relief Programme. It is a strategy designed to build a more stable, career-oriented workforce — one that offers pensions, benefits, and union representation, rather than the uncertainty of rotating contracts.

Service Not Carried Over, Remuneration Unchanged

Augustine also clarified two important details for workers hoping to make the transition. First, workers moving from development programmes and the Unemployment Relief Programme into the establishment would not carry over their service. Second, there would be no difference in remuneration for workers in the establishment and those outside of it.

“We can’t have a situation where someone who is now being onboarded is able to jump ahead of someone who has already worked in the establishment for a period of time,” he said.

The decision not to carry over service is significant. For workers who have spent years on ten-on, ten-off arrangements, the prospect of starting fresh at the bottom of the establishment may feel like a setback. However, Augustine’s insistence on equal pay across categories suggests a commitment to fairness, even as the THA seeks to rationalise its workforce.

The contrast with the Division of Community Development and Social Protection is instructive. That division completed its vacancy list more than a month ago, resulting in over 158 daily-rated workers being made permanent. The speed of that process stands in sharp relief to the delays in the Division of Public Infrastructure, and it offers a template for what could be achieved with greater administrative efficiency.

Implications for Tobago’s Workforce and Economy

The termination of more than 1,000 contracts is a significant event for a community of roughly 60,000 people. In a small-island context, where the THA has served as Tobago’s local government since 1980, public-sector employment is not just a job — it is a source of stability for families, a driver of local spending, and a buffer against the volatility of tourism-dependent income.

The shift from short-term contract work to permanent establishment jobs carries profound implications. Permanent workers gain access to pensions, benefits, and union representation — protections that ten-on, ten-off workers never enjoyed. They also gain the ability to plan for the future, to send their children to school without worrying about whether the next pay packet will arrive, and to invest in their communities with greater confidence.

But the transition is not without its challenges. The THA must now fill nearly 700 vacancies within the Division of Public Infrastructure, a task that requires not only compiling a vacancy list but also securing union sign-off and navigating the administrative machinery of local government. The seven-member committee established by Augustine is intended to accelerate this process, but the clock is ticking — the fiscal year ends on 30 September, and the Chief Secretary has made clear he wants all positions filled before then.

For the workers whose contracts have been terminated, the coming weeks will be a period of uncertainty. Some may find their way into the establishment, either through the vacancies at the bottom of the structure or through future openings. Others may need to seek opportunities in the private sector, in tourism, or in the informal economy that sustains so many Tobagonian households.

Augustine’s framing of the decision as a matter of liquidity rather than savings is telling. He recognises that the ten-on, ten-off programme, for all its flaws, put money directly into the hands of Tobagonians who spent it locally. The challenge now is to replace that liquidity with something more sustainable — permanent jobs that offer security, dignity, and a path forward.

As the THA works to complete its vacancy list and fill the hundreds of open positions, the eyes of the island will be on Calder Hall. The promise of permanent employment is a powerful one, but it must be delivered with the same urgency that Augustine has demanded. For the more than 1,000 workers affected, and for the families who depend on them, the next few weeks will determine whether this restructuring is a step forward or a stumble.

By Sharon Sahatoo, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: CNC3 Trinidad and Tobago.