SEVERAL salesgirls employed in the Mackenzie Market in Linden have expressed dissatisfaction with the way they are being treated by their employers and are calling on the Ministry of Social Protection to tactfully deal with the situation so that they will not be fired.

On Thursday during a walk about in the Mackenzie Market, several sales girls especially those employed at clothing stalls and variety stores said that they are grossly underpaid while working extremely long hours.

While the minimum wage in Guyana is $44, 200, the salesgirls’ salaries are between $8,000 to $9,000 per week. They work six days a week and if for any reason they miss a day’s work, their pay is cut. One sales girl said her salary is even cut when a public holiday falls on a work day.

Trying to keep back her emotions, a mother of three who works at a clothing store, said that she worked at a previous variety store for $8, 000 a week and after being treated unfairly, she left.

“I left that work because you had to go out for 08:00 hrs in the morning and most nights you closing up the shop 19:30 hrs and 20:00 hrs in the night. If you miss a day, your pay gets cut, if is holiday, your pay get cut, if you have to go to the doctor, your pay gets cut. I came to this new job and first I start with $10,000 a week and all of a sudden it drop to $8,000. That is $32, 000 a month. I have my three children to send to school, bills to pay, food to eat and you are afraid to talk because soon as you leave some body is waiting to take your space,” the tearful young woman related.
In Linden, where employment is hard to find, though the situation may be saddening, it is a matter of choosing the lesser of the two evils.
“I still prefer that to nothing because everywhere you go is the same thing you getting and me and my children still have to eat, but I would really like if the labour department can look into it because it is really hard.”

DISCREPANCIES
Another salesgirl who has five children and has been working at a variety store for several years, said she does not receive any sick days, bonuses, her NIS is not being paid and her salary is very low.

“I could remember I had the flu and I really couldn’t work but then I’m studying if I stay home my salary will cut so I went to work, it is really tough. I would encourage all young girls to take in their education so that they can get couple subjects and get a proper job because when you have to come out on the market, it don’t be nothing nice,” the mother encouraged.

While soliciting views with some stall owners, it was related to this newspaper that business in Linden is slow and paying workers low salaries is not done intentionally but the returns do not allow one to reach the minimum wage.

THINGS BROWN
This newspaper was told that sometimes for one day, nothing is being sold and that the issue does not lie with individual stall owners but with the economy of Linden.
“Things slow bad right now and when it hot season I would top up my worker pay, all like when is Christmas or Town Week or during the August holiday but generally things ain’t nice and I can’t do more than I doing. Some weeks when I done take out her $9,000, I don’t even pay myself, you still have Town Council to pay, rent to pay, light bill to pay and all these things, so is a general thing,” the stall owner said.

This publication was told that social services officials visited the market recently and were soliciting views from employees but it was not tactfully done since the employers were right there. Whether the wages situation may be debatable, several sections of the labour laws are still being broken, such as workers not being paid for not working on a national holiday or workers NIS not being honoured.
According to the Ministry of Social Protection National Minimum Wage Order, businesses within the private sector are required to pay their employees no less than $44,200 per month.

In accordance with Section 8 of the Labour Act, “the minimum rate of wages payable to an employed person shall not be less than $255.00 per hour or $2,040 per day or $10,200.00 per week or $44,200.00 per month, as the case may be.”
This order targets persons operating in the food, transportation, manufacturing, social services, health, hospitality and entertainment, security, garment, agriculture and tourism sectors, among others.
Workers are stipulated to work 40 hours per week and should not exceed five days per week. The order further stated that any employer who fails to comply with the provisions of the order will be liable upon summary conviction to a fine of $45,000 for the first offence and for any second or subsequent offence, to a fine of $90,000 and one month’s imprisonment.