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Retroactive payment for municipal workers not guaranteed today – City Mayor

Jan 20, 2009 News

Although an agreement was made between officials of the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and officials of City Hall that GLU-represented workers be paid 50 per cent of the retroactive increase on their salaries this month, there is no guarantee that this pledge will be fulfilled.
This disclosure was made yesterday by City Mayor Hamilton Green during an interview with this newspaper.
According to the mayor, while the municipality is obligated to pay the workers all that is owed to them, and furnish them with a sustained increase, there is definite time when this will be achievable.
Today is, in fact, the stipulated pay date for the municipality, but according to the mayor yesterday, sufficient funds have not yet been collected for the payment of the workers.
However, he noted that every effort has been engaged to accumulate the funds to pay the workers.
He disclosed that the municipality has been urging tax payers to pay up their taxes, to boost the current financial situation.
According to information emanating from the municipal public relations department, citizens are reminded that the payment of rates and taxes could be done in four instalments, with the first quarter being on February 1, the second quarter on April 1, the third quarter on July 1 and the fourth quarter on October 1, 2009.
Some persons are complying and are paying their taxes, the mayor noted, even as he opined that some defaulters have been placed before the court.
But, according to Mayor Green, the municipality still has to try to balance paying the workers and meeting its other obligations to the city.
“There is no guarantee that we will have the requisite amount by tomorrow (today). In fact, nothing is guaranteed; we don’t even know if we will live to see tomorrow, because not even life is guaranteed,” the mayor asserted.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the GLU, Carvil Duncan, has informed this newspaper that he has been patient with the municipality, a feature which may eventually wear thin if workers are not paid their increase, as was agreed upon.
The near 60 per cent of the municipal staffers were awarded seven per cent for the year 2007 and six per cent for the year 2008, in accordance with a compulsory arbitration-appointed wages and salaries increase.
The retroactive payment, according to acting Town Clerk Yonette Pluck, will amount to more than $38M. But, according to her, the municipality could not afford to pay the total sum all at once.
Last week, Chairman of the Personnel and Training Committee, Oscar Clarke, led a municipal delegation when a meeting with the union was held at City Hall.
At that meeting, the municipality’s position was carefully outlined to the union representatives, led by the General Secretary.
Duncan had disclosed then that the union had accepted an agreement wherein 50 per cent of the retroactive payment will be immediately paid to the workers, with the understanding that the two delegations will meet in another two weeks to discuss further payment.
With the decision made at the meeting in mind, Duncan said, he can only await the outcome of today to decide what further action the union will engage.

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