REGIONAL Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council, Region Four, Genevieve Allen has launched an investigation into the non-payment of fortnightly salaries over the Easter weekend to staff at the Little Diamond Herstelling Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

The investigation was ordered after Vice-Chairman of the RDC, Earl Lambert and Assistant Regional Executive Officer (AREO) Ramnarine Singh disclosed during the monthly Regional Communities Committee that the employees had not been paid.

It was disclosed that the Chairman of the NDC, Madan Singh, refused to sign the vouchers to effect payment, thus resulting in the 13 employees being forced to spend the Easter holiday without their salaries. “This is unacceptable and I am launching an immediate investigation as this nonsense cannot and will not continue,” Allen said.

She disclosed that it is not the first time that the NDC in question has encountered such problems, noting that the chairman continues to run the NDC’s affairs as if he is running his home or own business. “These persons have worked and by law, they are to be paid, not when the chairman feels ready and happy to, but paid within the stipulated time frame of when salaries are due,” she said.

It was disclosed also that the chairman refused to attend the NDC meeting and when contacted by the AREO, he had indicated that he would be coming. However, after several hours and his failure to turn up he informed the meeting that he would no longer be coming.

“We cannot allow our RDCs and NDCs to be made political tools and I will not sit by and watch politics ruining the livelihoods of our hard-working employees. Mr Madan Singh has taken matters into his own hands in refusing to sign the vouchers and the other NDCs that were present were informed about the circumstances surrounding his refusal; and I have launched an investigation after which we as a region will certainly have to take the appropriate action. Politics and politicking should be left for election time and has no place in professional organisations and environment,” the visibly upset regional chairman said.
AREO Singh said that this problem arose after the chairman’s unilateral decision to impose a 15 per cent increase in his monthly stipend. “He [chairman] has been receiving $10,000.00 each month. However, he imposed an additional $15,000.00 increase to his salary, thus making it $25,000.00 and because the overseer has refused, he, in turn, refused to sign off on the salaries for the workers,” the AREO disclosed.

Overseer Candace Atherly, who was unable to attend the meeting due to illness, said that she has been having this fight with the chairman for a while now. She said that he has taken the stance that once things are not done in his favour, then he refuses to discharge his responsibilities. “We told him that the vouchers were to pay the salaries, but yet he told us that if he ain’t getting his $25,000 then nobody ain’t getting paid, because he ain’t signing nothing,” she related.

However, when contacted, Singh said that he had not refused to sign the vouchers to protest not getting his $25,000, but noted that all the vouchers were not ready, so instead of signing some last week and some this week, he opted to wait until this week when he would sign all. He dismissed what he dubbed as ‘misguided statements’ by the overseer, whom he said is following the directives of some councillors. However, when told that the accusations and comments being made by Atherly have been made on numerous occasions publicly at meetings and in his presence, Singh said that he would not be bothered by what she has to say, adding “this is no big deal as the workers will be paid.”

Allen stressed that the “callous and uncaring” approach by elected officials cannot continue, adding that appropriate action will be taken when the investigation has been completed. Up to late Wednesday, the staff had not been paid and based on the accounting process, it is unlikely that they would be paid before Friday of this week, the RDC said.