GLU concerned over payment of municipal workers

Sep 28, 2008 News

— Deputy Mayor claims plans on stream to bolster revenue base

General Secretary of the Guyana Labour Union, Carvil Duncan has expressed immense concern over the continued delay by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to pay workers monies owed to them.
Duncan in commenting on the issue yesterday said that not only have workers of the municipality not received their salaries for the month of September but an increase in the pay package of Constabulary Officers is yet to be fully met.

Carvil Duncan

According to Duncan, the officers of the constabulary are usually eligible for a salary increase whenever officers of the joint services receive an increase.
And since the joint services officers were afforded a recent five per cent increase, Duncan explained that the city council was expected to follow suit with regards to the constabulary officers.
However, he noted that there was no apparent move by the municipality to address the salaries of the officers which according to him represented a mere $4,000 supplement.
As such Duncan related that the union had threatened to take action against the municipality if the officers were not paid.
And though the municipality had decided to pay the workers what was owed to them, the workers are yet to be paid in full, Duncan related.
He disclosed that the five per cent increase is an amount that should be reflected on a monthly basis in the salaries of the officers.
But according to Deputy Mayor Robert Williams in an invited comment yesterday, the council had indeed promised to pay the workers but was unable to do so due to some unforeseen hindrances.
However, he noted that the council has since been able to pay the workers for a retroactive period of January to May. He anticipates that the council will be able to pay the officers for the remaining months sometime this week, at which time he believes that the council will also be able to pay municipal staffers their September salaries.

Robert Williams

The Deputy Mayor expounded further that it is likely that the council’s financial situation will be appeased to some extent since an intensified rates and tax collection process has been engaged.
He disclosed that several council officials have been dispatched into the various sections of the city serving notices to residents who are in debt to the municipality.
Williams divulged that residents will be given no more than two weeks to settle their debts or face the ultimate penalty of being taken before the court.
And according to Mr Williams he is so far satisfied with the renewed approach engaged even as he added that several defaulting residents have been opting to pay off their rates and taxes.
The city council has for a number of years been lamenting that it is confronted with a severe cash-strapped situation which in effect has been hindering its efforts to effectively fulfil its mandate of keeping the city at an acceptable standard.
City Mayor Hamilton Green has repeatedly voiced his concern and has on numerous occasions emphasised that the resolution to the council’s problems lies in the expansion of its revenue base. (Sharmain Cornette)