Operators hired to execute emergency flood relief works disgruntled over reduced rate-per hour

Aug 11, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Several tractor operators who were hired to provide the service of pumping waters from the flood-affected areas on the Corentyne have registered their displeasure after a new rate-per hour of operating the pumps was moved from $5000-$4000. The operators stressed that they will not accept the $4000 since it was agreed upon from the beginning that $5000 will be paid to operate the pumps per hour. Many of the operators noted that their tractors worked 24-hours daily for weeks and as such, the reduction in the rate will cause them to run at a loss.
Chatterpaul Sewlall, explained that they “were asked to pump the water during the floods from Tain – Fyrish but we are very much depressed, the issue is the rate per hour that was promised to us as against what was given to us.”
He added that following a meeting with the Regional Chairman David Armogan, the Vice Chairman Zamal Hussain and a NDIA representative yesterday, they were told that those who did not accept the $4000 should leave.
“They summoned us yesterday and they told us that the rate was dropped from $5000 to $4000. We paid a large sum for security purposes and fueling. We were working with an expectation of seeing this $5000 an hour. They told us other regions accepted the $4000 payment and that we are reluctant but we as the tractor operators are looking out with great expectations to receive what was agreed upon. We had flood in Black Bush, our rice crop, cash crop all gone and we were depending on the little money to come and pump water out here and we gonna survive. They want to degrade this money,” Sewlall argued.
Another tractor operator who wished to speak under anonymity stated that since there was a need to pump the water out from the flood-affected areas and because there was a shortage of pumps, the government had asked for farmers to use their tractors and pumps to assist.

“There was a verbal agreement of $5000 per hour to conduct this. We had several meetings after, one with the Agri Minister and others with NDIA et cetera, we had no issue with the price and the work came to an end on the 10th of July, from then, we had another meeting, the price was fixed to $5000 again and we were waiting. Now we had another meeting and they said that they had agreed upon 5000 but they are going to pay $4000, everybody objected and the claim from members of the region is that who is not comfortable with the $4000, they can leave,” the operator said.
He noted that after they were told to accept the lesser sum, they held a mini protest at Albion while some other farmers were “forced to accept it.”
Rohit Harrinarine, another operator said he would think twice to go into any agreement again, “me go think twice because dem a try to rob ah we…dem promise $5000 and now dem want to give $4000 and that is not fair. We nah decide to collect no $4000 and me go lose. It was very expensive for me to maintain my machine.”
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman David Armogan told Kaieteur News that all other regions have accepted the new rate of $4000 and that the disgruntled operators were those that tried to disrupt the meeting held on Monday. He added that out of approximately 80 tractors operators, 51 persons agreed to accept the $4000. He further said that, “we didn’t tell them to leave; we said instead of disrupting the meeting, we will take the names of those who accept the $4000 and those who don’t, we will deal with them at another time.” Armogan said that verification of the hours was done and another verification will be done on Wednesday.
During a meeting with tractor operators at the Albion Sports Complex a few weeks ago, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha had assured the operators that the $5000 will be paid to them after the verification of hours is done. This was said after a tractor operator told him that they were hearing that $4500 would be paid instead. The operators are calling on the President and the Minister of Agriculture to “take us seriously” and pay what was agreed upon.

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