– M&CC has no definite alternative arrangements

ACTING Town Clerk Sharon Harry has indicated that no specific arrangements are in place for garbage collection and disposal from Monday, when the municipality’s two main contractors are expected to begin their strike.

Representatives of both Puran Brothers Disposal Services and Cevons Waste Management Inc turned up at City Hall on Friday afternoon, hoping to negotiate with the City Council on the way forward.

However, since no amicable solution has been arrived at, the contractors told the Guyana Chronicle that they remain firm in their decision to pull their services from Monday.
The contractors assured Harry during their meeting that they would be willing to continue working, if the City Council can at least pay them for two of the six months owed them, or even make a commitment that they will pay this sum by the end of November.

But Harry reportedly turned down both suggestions, and would only say afterwards that citizens have nothing to worry about; that should the contractors indeed strike on Monday, she will put in place her contingency plan.

“You never know,” she said. “Tthey can wake up tomorrow and change their minds about striking,” Harry told reporters after the meeting.

The contractors penned a joint letter to the municipality informing it of their decision, and even showed up for a meeting at which they both remained resolute that they are not backing down. As such, it is not clear why Harry has doubts about the strike coming off on Monday.

Asked to provide some specifics about her alternative plans, Harry said smaller contractors will come on board with the M&CC from Monday if the strike takes effect. While attempting to make clear that no one has been hired so far, Harry did name five companies that will be filling in for the main contractors.

“The smaller contractors are Granderson, C&S, Trash Tech, Tri Star and Garbage Eaters,” she said, adding:

“I have not hired anyone; I just have been engaging persons who have expressed a willingness to work with us.

“Once they suspend on Monday, the smaller contractors will step into place.”
Meanwhile, the three contractors hired last year August when the contractors had similarly pulled their services are still owed millions of dollars to date.

BREACH OF CONTRACT

“There is no doubt we breached our contract with them,” Harry said, and when asked if the municipality will be reaching out for government support, she said, “Every help is good; I can’t say what they will do, but the government will be informed.”

Harry is saying that even if smaller contractors have to be employed from Monday, the same schedule for garbage collection will remain in place. “The Council will be operating as per normal, so bring out your garbage on the specified days; it will be picked up by the municipality.”

Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis, however, begged to differ on this, saying that a new schedule for garbage collection will be made available on Monday.

Solid Waste Management Director Walter Narine was notably absent from the “emergency” press conference that Harry called Friday following her meeting with Puran’s and Cevon’s.
Cevon’s Business Development Manager Morris Archer told this publication on Friday that he is disappointed with the Council’s dealings with his company, which is owed $94M at the moment. “Our equipment is specialised equipment, and we would have invested millions,” he said.

“To just abruptly end our service is very unfair to us.”

Cevon’s Director, Morse Archer could not understand how the M&CC can speak of hiring smaller contractors to do the work. “It is six months we haven’t been paid for, but we’ve continued working,” he said. “And here it is you’re going to hire a contractor and you’re saying you don’t have money. How are you going to pay them? I just can’t understand that! Have you paid them anything to entice them to come back?

“You are going to enter into another credit arrangement, and you don’t know how you’re going to pay them? I find that a bit strange and worrisome.”

He said his company continued working, even when the City Council increased the credit facility in the contract from 21 days to 90. “But the 90 days seem to be like a rule; that they shouldn’t pay before 90 days. I don’t think City Council has been making genuine efforts to pay, because if they were, they would have started paying in small amounts even during the 90 days period.”

Puran’s spokesman, Kaleshwar Puran recalled that the contractors have a contract which stipulates a three-month credit facility, but that six months have elapsed as of November. “So we are forced to suspend our services because of cash flow difficulties and our operational costs. We’re all disappointed.”

Puran said Harry offered to pay the companies $2M each. “This is very insignificant,” he said. “That amount might just cover one or two days of our operational costs.”

NO URGENCY

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the contractors said their decision was made only after futile attempts to engage the municipality on the issue of settling the combined $160M that is owing for services since last June.
“In the process, we found City Hall to be decidedly lacking in a sense of urgency. It is as if the administration of City Hall has concluded that it is entirely reasonable to expect us to continue to provide service in the face of its astounding delinquency.
“We need hardly remind of the tremendous risks associated with the likelihood of recruiting replacement service providers who, based on previous experience, lack both the appropriate inventory and the expertise to provide an environmentally sound and safe service,” the contractors stated.

“We wish both the Government of Guyana and the citizens to be assured that a great deal of human and physical resources are invested in discharging our responsibility to the capital. In that context, we submit that it is both morally and legally wrong to expect that we can continue, over a protracted period of time, to discharge these services without compensation.

“Furthermore, we believe that to persist in a waste disposal management regime that continues to put the capital at risk on account of City Hall’s manifest limitations, is both reckless and dangerous.

“Accordingly, and given the critical importance of affording our capital a garbage disposal service that provides assurances of environmental safety, we recommend a measure of stringent government oversight, going forward.
“We need no further evidence that the efficient management of this service is beyond the capability of City Hall at this time.

“All things considered, we consider it prudent to call on Central Government once again to actively support the recommended process in order to bring closure to this matter in the shortest possible time, and to ensure that the upcoming holiday period is not blighted by unwelcome and unwholesome challenges associated by a sub-standard garbage disposal service,” the contractors said in closing.