AMIDST calls by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) for government to address the low wages being paid to sweeper-cleaners, Minister of State Joseph Harmon on Wednesday said his government is far from “uncaring”. He explained at a post-Cabinet press briefing that the administration is aware of the challenges facing sweeper-cleaners and is currently negotiating with the GPSU.

According to Harmon, sweeper-cleaners form a “special category” of workers and as a result the “peculiar features” of sweeper-cleaners have to be addressed cautiously.
“They are not just the same category of workers; these are people who work for a specific number of hours in the school system and therefore the arrangements for them have to be carefully worked out,” he said.
The Minister of State noted that he has met with representatives of the GPSU on the issue and made it clear that government is working to have the issue “resolved in the shortest possible time”.
“I understand the union’s anxiety but we’ve also asked that the sweeper-cleaners understand that we have their interest at heart but that there are specific features of the kind of service which they provide, the hours of work which they provide on a daily basis that would have to be categorised so we can make a decision in that regard,” he told the media.
Asked whether it can be expected that the issue would be resolved before the presentation of the 2016 budget, Harmon said, “Well, definitely we have started working on it. I really do not see that there are major hurdles still to be crossed. I do not see it… we started talking to the union, the union has put some proposals to us and we are going to be considering those proposals”.
UNDER ACTIVE CONSIDERATION
He made it clear that the issue is being “actively” considered. “The sweeper-cleaners can be assured that this caring government will continue to have their best interest at heart,” he added.
On Tuesday, President of the GPSU Patrick Yarde told the media that his union had written Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma with the hope of resolving the issue that has been placed under the carpet for a number of years.
According to Yarde, for too long sweeper-cleaners in the public sector have been paid low wages. Their wages are “way below the minimum wage”.
The GPSU president explained that the move to write Minister Sharma is as a result of what appears to be a lack of urgency on the matter, despite having several meetings on the issue with President David Granger and other Ministers of Government.
“We have been pursuing the sweeper-cleaner issue for several years,” he said, adding: “and felt relief when it was reported in a press conference by Dr Roger Luncheon that a Cabinet decision was taken to correct this injustice; and that effective from July 2013, sweeper-cleaners would be recognised within the Public Service, consistent with International Labour Organisation guidelines”.
However, he noted that following all the meetings with the Ministers of Government, nothing has changed and described the situation as “disturbing and of serious concern to the union.”
By Ariana Gordon

File photos of Patrick Yarde and Joseph Harmon
Captions:
GPSU President Patrick Yarde
Minister of State Joseph Harmon