–during Public Day meeting

FRUSTRATED sweeper-cleaners of the Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice region, particularly those employed at nursery schools, are of the opinion that officials at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) are not serious about increasing their wages to bring it up to par with the government minimum wage.

As they seek to have the issue addressed, several sweeper-cleaners seized the opportunity to raise it with ministers of the government at the recently-held Government Outreach in Linden, and seek their intervention.

One cleaner named Mrs Niles, at a meeting at Amelia’s Ward during the outreach, told Minister responsible for Rural Affairs in the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams that she is receiving $35, 000 monthly, even though she works eight hours daily, which in essence is 40 hours a week. The minimum wage for government workers is $64, 200 a month.

Although Regional Executive Officer (REO) Orrin Gordon, had said at April’s statutory meeting that those categories of workers would have been paid what is due to them that month, that promie did not materialise. Naturally, the sweeper-cleaners were disappointed, since the matter has been ongoing for some time now.

The issue came up for discussion at this month’s statutory meeting, which was held last week. At that meeting, Regional Chairman Renis Morian had said that based on what he’d gathered from REO Gordon, the RDC does not have the money to pay the workers.
Then there was the RDC’s Chief Treasurer who said she cannot pay the workers the increased sum, since she was not authorised by the Ministry of Finance to do so. “If the money run out and I have to write for more, I have to show them on what authority I raised the money,” she reasoned.

The hold-up in the payment comes despite a circular being dispatched to the various RDCs by Minister of Education Nicolette Henry stating that sweeper-cleaners across Guyana have been regularised, and should be paid $312.00 per hour for eight hours a day. This new stipulation would now take the region’s sweeper-cleaners’ monthly salaries to $49, 000, even though it would still be below the minimum wage. Nursery sweeper-cleaners are still not receiving this amount.

The Regional Chairman then called on the regional administration to write the Ministries of Education and Finance on the matter, and said that at June’s statutory it must be reported that the letter was written.

Regional Councillor Charles Sampson then upbraided the Council for being slothful on the issue, while the cleaners continue to be short-changed.

The sweeper-cleaners are calling for the matter to be dealt with once and for all. Councillor Sampson said that when it is finally decided that the cleaners should be paid, it should be done retroactively.