Protest continuing over City Hall unaccountability for deductions
GUYANA Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU) will continue to lead its protest today, over their dissatisfaction with the unaccountability of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for deductions from their pay. The continuing demonstration, with pickets, will take place at noon in front of the Regent Street entrance to City Hall.
The workers, backed by representatives of the union, began protesting on Monday, to show they are dissatisfied with the four percent deducted from their April month pay without explanation.
The money is supposed to be a lawful deposit kept by the municipality, should special circumstances occur, and workers do not mind paying the amount. However, the issue arose when it was discovered that the Administration cannot properly account for the monies.
GLGOU Vice-President, Ms. Cathy Fowler told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, that, although they wrote Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck, giving her 14 days to explain the situation, repeated attempts to meet with her for a discussion have proved futile.
Fowler said Pluck has been blatantly refusing to meet with the union and the protestation has to do with many other issues, as well.
The arrangement to deduct the cash had been in place years ago but was stopped because of the same accountability controversy.
But Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green told this newspaper, yesterday, that it was restarted following a recommendation by the Committee tasked with implementing the Burrowes Report on operations at City Hall.

Genuine
She said she has no objection to the workers’ action because their concerns are genuine.
GLGOU is asking for a monthly statement on the deductions for the sake of accounting, Chase-Green informed.
The union is claiming that it has not been properly briefed about the system that was recently put in place and that proper mechanisms should have been established before it was implemented.
The union is fearful of the money ending up like the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Pay as You Earn (PAYE) funds that were being taken out of their pay by the Council but not remitted to the stipulated entities.
According to a senior officer of the Council, who preferred anonymity, the sums should be deposited in a Government bank and an arrangement made for each employee to know that the cash has been deposited there.
At the end of the worker’s tenure with the Council, all the deductions are expected to be returned to the individual.

Disgust
GLGOU President, Mr. Dale Beresford, who was with the protesters Monday, told the media they were expressing their disgust at the total lack of respect being shown them by the Municipal Administration.
“The Administration has not shown us any confidence that they are able to manage this programme,” he said, adding that the union could not be provided with any of the details for which it requested of Pluck.
Beresford said the deductions made last month amounted to $1.6M, would accumulate to approximately $20M annually and $200M in ten years.
The Guyana Chronicle understands that Pluck, City Treasurer Andrew Meredith and other officers had met with the GLGOU Monday to avoid the picketing but they could not offer any acceptable explanation about the issue and, immediately after the meeting, the picketers took to the street.
GLGOU said, if City Hall does not provide the information requested in a timely fashion, it will be moving to the court for a resolution.