REGIONAL Executive Officer of Region 10, Orrin Gordon, has said effective from this month, sweeper/ cleaners in Region 10 will be paid what is due to them by the Ministry of Education.

Last week, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) chided the Region 10 Administration for delaying regularisation of the sweeper/ cleaners and not following Cabinet’s decision which was penned in a circular submitted to the RDC.
At the RDC’S statutory meeting held on Thursday, Gordon revealed that there were some minor setbacks relating to work timings in operationalising the decision, but that has been sorted out.

“Whether nursery, primary or secondary, they are all going to get the minimum wage which is subscribed by the Ministry of Education… the sweeper/ cleaners will get their monies and that will be sorted out in the month of May,” Gordon told councillors of the RDC.

They will now work 40 hours a week, their National Insurance Scheme will be deducted monthly and they will receive no less than 12 days of annual leave which will be utilised during school breaks.

The decision to regularise the sweeper/ cleaners came after the sweeper/cleaners protested several times in Georgetown and Linden, demanding to be paid the minimum wage and also for better working conditions. Instrumental in making representation for Region 10 sweeper/ cleaners was GPSU Industrial Relations Officer for Region 10, Maurice, who said the decision is a stepping stone to better things. The cleaners, most of whom are single parents, expressed gratitude for what they described as a long fight for regularisation.

“We need to give God praise and thanks, we fight hard for this, to God be the glory,” Coretta Braithwaite expressed. “We move from twenty four thousand to forty something thousand; we are thankful and giving God praise and thanks,” another cleaner celebrated.
GPSU Vice President Dawn Gardener had noted that the union will continue to advocate for the sweeper/cleaners to be entitled to sick leave, vacation leave and allowances in keeping with the Public Service rules.

In addition, she said these workers upon reaching the age of retirement, should be paid benefits for the period of employment.