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Forestry Commission struggling to pay staffers
GFC Chairperson, Jocelyn Dow
The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is finding it hard to survive. Staffers are complaining bitterly of being owed money.
In fact, the entity, which is charged with managing the country’s forests, did not see a cent of Norway’s climate change deal with Guyana.
Rather, GFC has to depend on raising monies from acreage and other stewardship activities.
It is falling short by up to $1B annually to effectively carry out its function.
The commission is now appealing for more money to help its operations.
Yesterday, during an interactive session to discuss a recent study of the impact of the US$250M Norway deal which ended in 2015 but is being continued to ensure Guyana meets commitments, the issue of staffers and their conditions of work came up.
According GFC’s chairperson, Jocelyn Dow, it is hopeful in the second engagements post-2015 when the Norway deal ended, that the commission can be given the needed resources.
She explained that the commission has been increasing activities, including more fines and visits to concessions.
However, collections have been hampering GFC as concession holders have themselves been facing hurdles including market and the poor state of hinterland roads.
Transportation costs for loggers account to about 35 percent of costs.
According to staffers, they have been saddled with late payments of salaries, absence of leave passages, uniform allowances and retroactive payments due since 2018.
Also owed are allowances for field outreaches and out-of-town visits.
According to GFC officials, yesterday, even if they collect up to the $60M owed, it will only cover about six weeks of salary for the almost 450 staffers.
The commission also has to pay to maintain staffers at 30-plus stations across the country in addition to vehicles and other routine activities.
It was reported that a number of staffers have already left the job.
Kaieteur News was told that the GFC was so cash-strapped that staffers are still owed retroactive payments effective from January 1, 2018.
Employees also claimed that a $25,000 per year bonus for middle management staffers, which is an agreement between the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union and Guyana Forestry Commission, is yet to be paid for 2018.
They said that for eight years now, they have not received an increase and are owed leave passage allowance.
The aggrieved workers also claimed that in an effort to boost financial revenues, staffers have undertaken several initiatives such as increase patrols on land and water and field trips .
The GFC is responsible for advising the subject minister on issues relating to forest policy, forestry laws and regulations. The Commission is also responsible for the administration and management of all State Forest land.
The staffers claim that when they find illegal operations they are told to stand down, and there are likely no payments of the hefty fines, money that are needed to pay staffers.
Guyana has an area of 214,970 km2 of which nearly seventy-five percent is covered with natural vegetation. Of this area, approximately four-fifths is classified as State Forests under the jurisdiction of GFC.
According to Dow, it is a fact that just about 20 percent of the allowable cuts or logging is being done. This translates to less income to GFC.
It did not help that almost $1B in cash that GFC had in reserves was transferred under the last administration.
Loggers and other stakeholders are also facing pressure from high bank rates.
On top of that, Dow explained to the stakeholders of the challenges, since the Norway deal, GFC has taken on more reporting responsibilities which has added to the duties and of course, the overheads.
Recently, the Cabinet ordered a special body to oversee the restructuring of GFC, including issues of promotion and salary and training.
The convener of the task force is Clayton Hall, a former senior GFC official.
The body has to submit a report to Cabinet on recommendations by July.
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