Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
GLU instructs ‘go-slow’ at City Hall
GLU General Secretary, Carvil Duncan
– Anticipates payment of wages and salaries today
Municipal workers represented by the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) have engaged a slow mode of operation even as the payment of salaries is anticipated by today. According to General Secretary of the union, Carvil Duncan, the 700-odd workers represented by his union have been instructed to attend work as usual but refrain from the normal pace of work.
The union had proposed strike action in retaliation to the municipality’s inability to pay its workers’ wages and salaries, an occurrence which has become protracted. But Duncan revealed yesterday that based on reports emanating from the Treasurer’s Department, cheques have already been signed and payment is imminent.
“Until payment is made, we are not going to ask the workers to work as per norm…” Duncan insisted during an interview with this newspaper.
It is the GLU General Secretary’s belief that the decision to not pay the workers was a deliberate act. He revealed his convictions that “the Mayor has been using workers as a pawn in his political struggle…This is behind this non-payment and I am convinced that it is deliberate.”
At a meeting hosted by the Chief Labour Officer, on Wednesday, which saw the attendance of officials from the municipality and the union, Duncan recounted that City Mayor Hamilton Green had described the proposed action by the union as nothing resembling an industrial dispute. In fact, the Mayor, at a press conference, had regarded the action as “not an ordinary one.”
But according to Duncan, it is clear that the failure to pay workers is deliberate as at the recent labour-hosted meeting, the Mayor had indicated that workers could not be paid earlier than next week Friday.
“Where is the money coming from to pay workers now on the third (today)? The fact that they have found the money, indicates that they had the money all along and didn’t need money from the government to make payment like the Mayor was suggesting.”
Duncan asserted that the GLU has held off on its proposed full-blown industrial action, based on the understanding that the workers will be paid today, a promise he is confident will be fulfilled.
Mayor Green on Wednesday noted that “there was no dispute between the workers and the municipality…a dispute in the sense that there is money to be paid and the council is unwilling to pay. The position as we pointed out on many occasions is that the Council is without the resources to pay workers, and I feel very sad and sorry for the workers, particularly at a time when school is reopening, and we have so far been unable to pay the workers.”
During his press conference, the Mayor related that it was very strange that the GLU General Secretary did not believe that the issue of those who owe taxes was relevant or that it was an issue of concern.
“This is an amazing, unbelievable position, because the municipality is not a business that sells liquor or machinery and generates money overtime. We rely almost entirely on taxes from our property owners.”
Green pointed out that although the Government is in fact one of the largest property owners in Georgetown, it seems unwilling to satisfy the financial obligation it has with the municipality. This development, he is convinced, has set the tone for other taxpayers who have neglected to pay their taxes.
“If the Government sets a bad example in a small society like ours it will not be surprising that others are delinquent and feel it is unimportant…”
For regular properties, the Mayor revealed that Government owed some $92M, but for some reason had only opted to pay a total of $40M and had even sent an order dictating how that money should be expended. According to the chief citizen, the municipality is yet unable to extract from the Government the sum of $52M which is still owed.
Given this state of affairs, the Mayor said that he is appalled that the union leaders are still of the opinion that the failure on the part of government and other property owners to not pay up is not very important.
“This is not a matter that they want to discuss…It is unbelievable that an organisation like ours that depends on rates and taxes… that you can have a union so irresponsible, so obtuse and so biased, as if this is not their concern.”
In addition, Green said that there are hundreds of millions of dollars due to the municipality from properties disposed of by the state, for which they have not yet settled.
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