Non compliant Town Clerk causes private contractors to lash out for pay

Feb 21, 2013 News

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Irate private contractors hired to clean up the city’s waste are calling on the relevant authorities to make their pay available for services rendered since January last year.
The private operators said that they have not been paid for the first five months of last year and it is their understanding that it is because Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba, is refusing to give the okay for the contractors to be paid.
It was on their behalf, the men complained, that at City Hall’s statuary meeting in September, Sooba was ordered to pay the contractors immediately.
“Still today they have not made our money available to us,” one of the frustrated contractors proclaimed. The private truck owners said that payments are outstanding from last year January to May. They say that they are owed over $1M.
One year later, monies are not being paid although letters have been sent to the Town Clerk and the Ministry of Local Government, whose intervention was being sought in the matter.
The contractors, some of whom have over 20 years of service to City Hall, said that when they approached the Town Clerk on the issue; she initially said that the money was not available and that there was none to make payments.
On another occasion, they said that Sooba claimed to be waiting on approval from the Local Government Minister but later changed to say that before making payments, there must be presentation of contracts for services rendered.
The men are however, challenging that for the 20-odd years some of them have worked with the Council, there had been no written contracts since the agreements were being made orally. They said it is thus conflictive and an “eye pass” that the Town Clerk should demand contracts before giving them their pay.
The men have also charged that they have been in the background fighting the garbage situation. “When dem big companies like Puran and Cevons go on strike, is we does do the work. We are the ones who clean up the mess when things go wrong.”
As a result of the unfair treatment, the contractors said they have ceased working since June last year, “And that is why garbage is all over de place, cause we are de backbone (and we) are no longer operating.”
The contractors produced two letters that were sent to Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker on October 17, last year and again on January 9, 2013 requesting the Ministry’s assistance.
The first letter informed the Minister about the contractor’s plight and the alleged disrespect meted out to them by the Town Clerk who sent away one of the contractors seeking to find out about their pay. It continued that when the issue was raised by the deputy Mayor at the Council’s September 24 Statutory meeting, Sooba said that the payments would be made later that day.
The second later sent last January, was a follow up reminding the Minister of the commitments to pay the contractors. According to the correspondence, the Council’s Finance Committee had already circulated and approved the payment which is sitting in the treasurer’s office. The treasurer is awaiting instructions to make payments.
A response from the Local Government Ministry, the contractors claimed, was that payment vouchers were received for the contractors but no supporting or source documents were released while the vouchers themselves held no signatures. The workers said that a mess up in procedures has been cited by the Ministry for the mix up.
The workers are however willing to accept no more excuses from those who owe them their pay. Joseph Waldron said that he has his mortgage to pay and his understanding is that the Town Clerk was ordered to pay since there is no reason why she should not.
Mr. Dundas, another contractor said that the Town Clerk is saying that she has to see contracts before payment. He however, said that working with City Hall for over 20 years, he has always been working on a verbal contract condition. He said it is heartrending to be supporting and working with the city for so long and having to endure this embarrassment.
Another contractor, Richard Rayside, also charged that for the 22 years that he has worked with City Hall, there had not been contract issues, yet the Town Clerk is requesting contracts that were never given before making payments. These were the sentiments of four other contractors waiting for their monies.
The men said that in total, about $18M is owed because of the constant discrepancies with payment, which causes the money to grow. The men said that there is a work ledger which shows services that were provided and it would confirm services rendered.
The contractors said that they have to gas their own vehicles, hire their own workers and repair their own trucks. When they work they said that they would meet at the stone depot, Princes Street, and an officer would dispatch them to the various locations. Truck loads are recorded and dated in the ledger which is later sent to the engineer who verifies and approve payments.
When Kaieteur News made contact with the Town Clerk for a comment she said, “I want nothing to do with Kaieteur News,” and that she would not be talking to the newspaper.
Kaieteur News was however, told that another letter along with supporting documents would be sent by the Council’s Finance Committee to the Local Government Minister, before the contractors gear for protest action.

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