Gov’t doubles school cleaners’ pay

– vacation allowance, other benefits approved

SWEEPER/ cleaners employed at public schools in Linden and other parts of the country on a part-time basis were in more than a celebratory mood when the news broke that they have been regularised and will now benefit from not only an almost double increase in salary, but also from other fringe benefits.

General-Secretary of the Region 10 Guyana Public Servants Workers’ Union Maurice Butters, held a meeting with about 50 employees and revealed to them a circular released by the Ministry of Education which stated that the sweeper cleaners will now work for eight hours and will get an hourly increase of $312.00,as opposed to $208.00. The cleaners will benefit from a monthly allowance of $2, 400, a yearly vacation allowance which is a month’s tax-free salary and uniform allowances, according to Butters. They will now work 40 hours a week, their national insurance contributions will be deducted monthly and they will receive no less than 12 days of annual leave, which will be utilised during school breaks.

Butters, who was instrumental in fighting for the regularisation of Linden cleaners, said that the decision is a stepping stone to better things. He is however calling on the regional administration of Region 10 to prioritise meeting with the cleaners and deciding when the decision will be effective, since the power is now in their hands.
The cleaners, most of whom are single parents, expressed gratitude for what they described as a long fight for regularisation. They had even held several protests actions and are now happy that their voices have been heard. “We need to give God praise and thanks, we fight hard for this, to God be the glory,” Coretta Braithwaite expressed. “We move from twenty four thousand to forty something thousand, we are thankful and giving God praise and thanks,” another cleaner celebrated.

In discussion with the media, Butters expressed concern that the cleaners’ eight hours will now be respected by teachers, since they had previously complained of having to wait after the completion of after-school lessons to clean the classrooms. The move to regularise the cleaners was made after a series of protest actions organised by the Guyana Public Service Union.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.