–Town Clerk says pay roll will be “tidied up” by Wednesday

WORKERS of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Monday protested the non-payment of their September salaries by the M&CC outside the Ministry of Communities.President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), Carvil Duncan, who was on the frontline of the protest, said “workers are still unaware of when they will be paid, given that several previous promises went unfulfilled”.

According to him, payments were supposed to be made on or before September 25, 2016, but workers are yet to receive payments.

If the situation is not addressed, Duncan said the workers will continue to take industrial action.

According to Town Clerk, Royston King, some of the workers were paid and City Hall is working to “tidy up” their payroll by Wednesday.

“This regrettable situation is due to a number of factors, including the intensification of community works in local neighbourhoods, the provision of vital municipal services, the lack of valuation of properties for more than two decades and a substantial amount of outstanding taxes owed in billions to Council by property owners; The private sector owes billions of dollars to the City,” City Hall said in a release.

In the past, the Council had neglected to provide vital services to local communities, including drainage, roads, bridges, public and environmental health services.

However, the situation has changed with council reaching out to all local communities to ensure health and safety and to fulfill its mandate to deliver a clean, green and healthy city to all Guyanese, City Hall said.

According to the release, at the moment, City Hall is in the process of repairing that vital bridge at Alexander Street and South Road and the one at Barr Street and Sussex Street, along with associated drainage works. In addition, Council is doing works in the La Penitence and connecting areas.

Repairs and restorative works to Kitty Market and the Municipal Training Complex, at Water Street, and activities to sustain effective drainage in the Central Business District, Bourda and Lacytown are ongoing, City Hall said.

“As such, the Georgetown Municipality is attempting to strike a good and necessary balance between paying our workers and contractors, and providing vital and critical services to the nation’s capital,” City Hall said.