Sweeper/cleaners now regularised within public sector
FLASH BACK: Protestors led by GPSU Vice-President, Mortimer Livan (far left) making their way to the Ministry of the Presidency, Vlissengen Road, on August 8
FLASH BACK: Protestors led by GPSU Vice-President, Mortimer Livan (far left) making their way to the Ministry of the Presidency, Vlissengen Road, on August 8

A RECOMMENDATION from the Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, for the regularisation of the employment of sweepers/cleaners within the public sector, particularly within the public school system, was recently approved by Cabinet.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon told reporters Thursday that Cabinet agreed to a proposal made by the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Finance to be placed in the 2018 budget presentation.

He said the proposal will be used as the base upon which the other agencies, such as the Ministries of the Presidency, Social Protection and Finance will examine carefully the issue related to sweeper/ cleaners.

“We trust that these interventions will bring an end to this situation,” Harmon added.

Last month about 30 sweeper/cleaners protested the Ministry of the Presidency, calling for an increase in their salaries, while calling for other benefits, such as leave allowance.

The cleaners called for, among other things, salary increases and to be put as permanent staff which would allow them to qualify for annual leave and a vacation allowance.

Guyana Public Service Union’s (GPSU) Vice-President, Mortimer Livan had told reporters that the cleaners are being paid for six hours per day at a rate of $312 per hour.

Also, no National Insurance Scheme (NIS) payment is made for the workers which will deny them, in their latter days, benefits the state has to offer.

Previously, the cleaners were working eight hours per day, but according them a decision was made at the Ministry to reduce it to six hours.

This amount, when totalled, is below the public servant’s minimum wage, which was adjusted to $50,000 per month.

That decision contradicted a Cabinet decision made on November 5, 2003, for sweepers and cleaners to have wages set in accordance with the minimum wage order of the country and for those payments to be made in a timely manner.

Livan at the time said that while the decision was never implemented by the former administration, it was supported by President David Granger while he was Opposition Leader. On August 31, 2015, the matter was again raised with the President who referred it to then Minister of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, Volda Lawrence.

A statement was presented to the then minister outlining the union’s position at the time. Some of the recommendations were for: the status of the cleaners to be upgraded; they be employed on the Permanent Establishment; they be paid in keeping with the Public Servant Minimum Wage regime; NIS should be paid; and that they must be granted annual leave, retroactive to at least two years, among others.

Livan said while it was expected that these recommendations would have been considered and conditions would have improved for the cleaners, it did not.
In fact, he said that at a meeting on August 4, 2017, they were informed that the hours of work for the cleaners would be reduced from eight to six, daily.

In addition, the workers were informed by their respective headteachers that they would only be paid for two weeks in July and one in August.
As such, Livan had called on the authorities to immediately examine and rectify the situation which was described as “economically challenging.”

Efforts to contact Livan on the matter Thursday proved futile.

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