Trade unionist upbraids Region Ten administration
Trade Unionist Charles Sampson
Trade Unionist Charles Sampson

— says nursery school sweepers /cleaners being short- changed

VETERAN Trade Unionist Charles Sampson, who is also a regional councillor, upbraided the administration of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Region Ten, for not upholding the labour laws as they relate to paying sweepers/cleaners.

Sweepers/cleaners are expected to be paid the minimum wage, which is stipulated by law to be $64, 200. The discussion stemmed from a recent report in this publication about nursery school sweepers/cleaners in the region, bemoaning being short-changed and receiving payments for six, instead of eight hours, as stipulated by a circular signed by Education Minister Nicolette Henry.

That document was disseminated to all regional administrations.
While the eight-hour rate allows primary and secondary school cleaners to be paid $49, 000, Sampson said that that was still below the minimum wage and should not be. “I can’t understand why we are paying people below $370, 00 per hour or $64, 200 per month, especially government employees… they are being short-changed. Minimum wage is a rule that has to be followed, you cannot violate minimum wage and this is government service,” he argued.

Sampson said the cleaners were being robbed and should be reimbursed all monies, once the matter was sorted out. “If we are not paying them people right, we have to give them people their back money, we got to give them people,” he affirmed.

Relative to the specific issue of nursery school sweepers/cleaners in the region being paid for only six hours, Sampson said the matter can be fixed without the bureaucracies put forth by the administration.

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Orrin Gordon stressed that there was a difference in payment because of the six-hour and eight-hour work schedules and he had been trying, arduously, to put systems in place to equate the working hours so all sweepers/cleaners can be paid the same salary. He said he would have engaged several relevant authorities on the matter but the issue had not yet been put to rest.

“It is a conundrum that needs to be sorted out, I want to pay the people, but I did not get a conclusive position when asked for information to move the process along. I have to be guided by instructions,” he said.

Gordon said if he should go ahead and pay the workers the same rates, despite the difference in working hours, it would be a recipe for audit query. He also pointed out that the circular said, ‘not more than eight hours’, which can be taken into context. The REO related that the matter now lies with the headteachers of the nursery schools. “That responsibility is now with the headteachers to make sure the people work eight hours,” he related.

Trade Unionist Sampson said the matter should be sorted out and the sweepers/ cleaners must be compensated properly for their work. An hourly agreement must be decided upon, soonest, since they were being robbed.

Matters like those, Sampson argued, result in so much industrial issues in the public service system, relative to compensation of workers.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian had ordered the administration to write Minister Henry, stating that the RDC is requesting that all sweepers/ cleaners in Region 10 be paid the minimum wage in Guyana, which is $64, 200.

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