By Vanessa Braithwaite 

BUSINESSES in Linden are hoping to cash in on the recently announced increase in pay for workers of Bosai Minerals Group Guyana (BMGG) as well as tax-free overtime. Workers of the Chinese company will receive a 6.5% increase on their salaries. The workers last week were given a retroactive payment and started to receive their tax-free overtime pay and some clothes vendors and food vendors claim that business boomed over the weekend.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday, several vendors posited that things should get better now as money will be circulating in the town. With close to 600 Lindeners being in its employ, Bosai holds the largest employment population in the mining town. Most of these are men and the breadwinners for their families. According to one junior employee at Bosai, the 6.5% increase along with the tax-free overtime pay will see about $7, 000 added to his salary every week. According to him, “now you can be able to provide more for the family and add entertainment to your budget.”
The tax break will mostly benefit 12-hour workers as every hour worked after eight hours per day/ 40 hours per week will not attract tax. Employees across the board however will benefit from the salary increase which will not be paid until March of 2017, after which another increase should be granted. Clothes vendor Ronnel Mingo told this publication that since the reopening of school in September, business has slowed down tremendously. “Sometimes you come out you lucky to sell one socks or one rag,” she revealed. She said that during the weekend however things ‘busied’ up after the workers were paid on Thursday. “The weekend was a little nice, we get a good amount of sales and I’m happy for that,” she said, while adding, “I hope that now the Bosai workers getting this increase, things will get better for businesses across Linden.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Shonnette Seaforth, a general store vendor who said, “Last weekend was good, we see more people coming out and buy. I made like $80, 000 Saturday gone.” Shondell, a food vendor, said that she was always supported by Bosai workers who most times before work, especially in the evenings, would come and purchase their dinner. Many of the workers however “trusted” the food and would pay when they receive either their weekly or fortnightly wages. “What I notice is that since they get this pay-off people paying rather than “trusting” and I’m happy about that because is a food business and everyday you have to get money to turn over,” she said. The bars and drinking hubs in Linden should also benefit from the workers’ increase as during the weekend several nightspots were filled with the employees.
The increase and tax exemption is not only beneficial to the workers, but will create a ripple effect on the entire economy of Linden. With an unemployment rate of 70% and lack of job opportunities, many persons are seeking entrepreneurship as a means of earning, but were still feeling the squeeze as persons claim that money was not circulating in the mining town. The vendors are also anticipating good business as public servants will this week receive a 10% increase that will be retroactive to January 2016.