Sand truck operators should be treated as essential workers

Apr 20, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

We, the sand truck operators, who utilise the East Bank Demerara Corridor leading from the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, continue to be perturbed by the level of discrimination meted out against us on a regular basis by the powers that be in our service to the construction sector.

For five days a week, we are subjected to blatant and shameless approaches taken by members of the Guyana Police Force, as we struggle to maintain a livelihood in this raging pandemic.

For hours each morning, we are forced to park our trucks and give way to the other vehicles, thereby limiting our productivity and service to our clients and their contractors, who greatly depend on our services.

If sand truck operators are not allowed to operate freely, it will cast the entire construction sector in disarray. How will contractors work? How can the masons, carpenters, labourers provide for their families, who are already struggling in this pandemic?

While the government boasts of a construction boom, the movement of sand trucks are being limited. How can we achieve productivity in the construction sector when the most vital component to construction – sand – cannot be delivered in a timely and adequate manner to our clients?

Many of us who desire to fulfill our obligations to our clients opt to leave the comfort of our homes to go to the pits at 3am, sometimes 1am, to load. We are stopped by ranks along the East Bank Demerara and threatened to be charged for flouting COVID-19 regulations. We also leave at these wee hours in the morning because it allows us to utilise the Demerara Harbour Bridge freely so as to maximise the number of trips we make.

We cannot operate in the slow hours and we also cannot operate during the rush hours, so when should we operate? We are asking the powers that be for us to be treated as essential workers, given the important service we provide to the construction sector and this country.

Yours truly,
Sand Truck Operators