– so residents can benefit from gov’t services to bring relief

By Vanessa Braithwaite
MINISTER of Social Protection Volda Lawrence believes that Linden needs a ‘shake up’ so that the residents can benefit from services made available by the government to bring relief to citizens.Lawrence at a public meeting in the mining town said that something or someone in Region 10 is preventing services from reaching residents.

The minister’s response followed concerns voiced by residents on issues regarding the education system, unemployment rate, and environmental issues along with information sharing.

CLOG IN THE SYSTEM
“Something is wrong in this region, something is wrong, we are in Georgetown, we are at Cabinet meeting, we are passing this, we are passing that, we are talking about bringing the services to our people and Linden comes up repeatedly because we know over 23 years you have been punished and then to come here and to hear the stories that we are hearing …. there is a clog in the system in Linden…there is something or someone stopping the services that this government is bringing…something is wrong,” declared Lawrence.

Many residents of the mining town were issued termination letters from the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) and have labeled the move to terminate them unfair.

Those residents have called on the Social Protection Minister to intervene as they are of the opinion that the Linden Mayor and Town Council is being unfair to them.
Regional Democratic Councillor Gordon Callender disclosed that the workers turned to him after being served with the termination letters.

He said in a bid to prevent them from heading to the streets, he tried to get the intervention of several persons in authority, including the Regional Chairman.

Meanwhile, Deloris Gibbons, a CIPP worker blamed the Linden Mayor and Town Council for ‘corrupting’ the entire programme as many of the councillors pass instructions.

“One time they telling you don’t wuk, stop wuk, next day who tell you wuk, we never tell you stop wuk, this is how deh get yuh …”she said.

Gibbons also accused Deputy Mayor Waneka Arrindell of not respecting the workers and placing a bin that should be used for the community of Green Valley in her yard.

“The bin is come but the bin in come on the road, the bin come in her yard,” she claimed with the support of many other CIIP workers present.

Town Clerk Jonnellor Bowen recently told members of the media that the decision to terminate approximately 271 workers in Linden under CIIP was made through the councillors of LMTC.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian had asked for those letters to be rescinded, noting that it created uneasiness among the workers who were not properly consulted on the move.

Bowen said prior to the decision, she received correspondence at the level of the Ministry of Communities, based on discussions with the permanent secretary, where it was noted that the 271 employees under the CIIP programme would be allowed to work up to July 31, 2016.

She said the correspondence stated too that a maximum of 250 workers must be employed no later than August 1, 2016 and would work for eight hours per day, 4 days per week, 16 days per month, which would also include an increase in payment from $12,500 to $25,000 per month.

Many of the workers were not told of the reason they were issued termination letters and this lapse in the information process created tension among the group.

Industrial Relations Officer of the Guyana Public Service Union for Linden, Morris Butters at the meeting addressed the issue of limited information spiraling out of control as there isn’t a proper communication mechanism in place between the municipality and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

“Anything affecting the people of Linden decided on at the Town Council or the RDC, it remains there, it does not come out to the people so that they can know what their leaders are doing and what their leaders have planned for them. I think they need to have something so that we can inform the people of this community,” Butters said.

He recommended that the councils utilize the medium of television or radio to disseminate information as they have a “responsibility to the people.”

DISCONNECT
Minister Lawrence concluded that there is a disconnect between the Town Council and the people and committed to discuss the situation with Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan. She said the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Linden will also be summoned to a meeting.

“We want to know what is going on in this region, this region needs a shakeup,” she affirmed.
Lawrence said she will do a follow-up visit to the mining town in September. The public meeting brought to an end a weekend visit to communities along the Berbice River by Minister Lawrence and Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott.