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Union offers new ultimatum to state over outstanding pension for retired GTC/GT&T workers
The Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers Union (GPTWU) has issued a one-week ultimatum to the government over outstanding pension monies owed to retired Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company,(GT&T) and Guyana Telecommunication Corporation (GTC) workers.
The Union said that Government must honour the commitment to the workers or face legal action.
The GPTWU issued the challenge during a press briefing at the Union’s East Street Headquarters yesterday.
This is the second time of the year that members of the Union are meeting with the press on issue. On this occasion however, the GPTWU is refuting claims that the State had released the outstanding sums to the pensioners.
The issue dates back to more than a decade. It was spawn in the 1990s when moves were made by the then Government to privatise the GTC.
At the time, the workers were each reportedly issued with a letter stating, “You will be continued in employment with GT&T and your service will be treated as continuous and unbroken and the other conditions of service will not be less favourable than what you presently enjoy.”
And based on that agreement, it was understood that the former employees, upon retirement from GT&T, should have received their pension and gratuity from the present Government through the Ministry of Finance, in keeping with the Pension and Corporation Acts.
Nevertheless, the former workers found themselves just receiving their gratuity as at December 1990, without interest, and the Government minimum pension of $18, 000 per month across the board.
During the press conference, yesterday, the representatives of the GPTWU noted that the Union speaks on behalf of more than 100 affected workers.
At present, the Union said the issue has become more pressing since several of their members are dying out without having redress to the pension issue.
President Harold Shepherd of the GPTWU said that the Union has been making representation on behalf of the pensioners as early as 2003 to no avail.
These employees have given their sweat and tears to build the telephone industry in this country and we hope that we would not be forced to take to the road in protest,” Shepherd added.
He disclosed that the former employees are currently agitated enough to do whatever is necessary to be adequately compensated for their years of service.
The media conference had in fact preceded a meeting between the representing bodies and scores of the aggrieved pensioners with a view to ascertaining the next move in order to realise payment of the outstanding monetary benefits.
Members of the GPTWU speak to members of the media at the conference held yesterday.
He explained that an affected former technician for instance should have currently been receiving a monthly pension of at least $50,000, while a former Manager should have been the recipient of way over $100,000 per month.
Moreover, the situation that obtains is that “retired senior managers, supervisors, janitors, technicians, labourers, among others, are all getting the same minimum pension,” the GPTWU President said.
Shepherd disclosed too that GTC had put in place a pension plan for its employees, but for some reason, following the privatisation, the employees did not benefit from that plan.
At the interim, he said the GPTWU has not ruled out staging protests.
We are currently seeking legal advice but we want to give the governing Coalition one more chance to keep its promise.
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