I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Labour for a job well done in regularising standards in workplaces and ensuring that workers receive the benefits they are entitled to.

However, there is a disturbing situation existing here in Guyana which I would like to bring to the Ministry’s attention.

Taxi drivers employed by most taxi services, particularly in Georgetown, do not receive a fixed salary. If they have their own vehicles and they are affiliated with a service, they pay $1,000 a day for the use of the service (base fee) and they have to buy gas for their vehicles. If they are employed with the service and use the vehicles the service gives them to operate, they have to pay $3,500 per day plus $1,000 base fee. In addition, they have to buy gas and pay to have the vehicle washed. These men are forced to work from six in the morning until three or four 0’ clock the next morning to earn something for themselves. That is more than 24 hours of work. These services also demand that the drivers pay the $4,500 by midnight. Sometimes that is all the drivers make for the day after paying for gas, and so they are forced to work until the next morning to earn something for themselves.

This is exploitation of human labour to the highest. These men should be receiving a salary with overtime pay. These taxi services also do not make any PAYE or NIS payments on behalf of these drivers. Many of them have families to maintain and so they are forced to work these gruelling hours, sometimes for nothing, as when they are finished paying the service for the day and pay for gas, they have nothing left. The taxi service owners live a very luxuriant lifestyle on the earnings of these hardworking men and this is just not fair.

I would like to urge the Minister of Labour, Hon. Manzoor Nadir, to urgently look into this situation. One such service, that has no remorse whatever for their drivers, is located in Robb Street, Georgetown. However, as I mentioned above, these drivers have no choice. Jobs are hard to find and so they have to keep trying. But that is no excuse for employers to exploit so ruthlessly hardworking people because of their economic situation.

Please minister, I urge you to check into the operations of these taxi services as soon as possible. A talk with their drivers will reveal the truth.
VANITA MAHADEO