City Hall employees protest non-payment of NIS, PAYE

…Labour Union threatens to close markets, day care centres, kokers

The Guyana Labour Union (GLU), which represents close to 200 staffers of the Mayor& Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC), has threatened to close the day care centres, markets, and even the kokers until City Hall remits the NIS contributions, PAYE deductions, and credit union dues withdrawn from the earnings of these workers but not paid over to the relevant agencies.
The workers took to the pavement in from of City Hall on Monday to protest the actions of the M&CC Accounts Department. Shouting, “No pay no work!” the workers also demanded retroactive salaries owed them for the years 2015 to 2017, even as they also protested the non-allocation of uniform vouchers due them.
“The guys them are out here for their salary and (their) three-year money; the NIS (money), the Credit Union, and them kind of thing. Them ain’t paying the money, so when people sick, they can’t go for nothing. The people sayin, ‘Go back to Council’, cause Council not payin the money,” a worker in the drainage and

engineering department told this publication.
He added that the nonpayment of the workers’ salaries is becoming very frustrating, especially at this time of year, when parents are expected to buy school supplies for their children.
Recardo Grant, another worker, said the workers have been promised that deductions made from their salaries would accordingly be remitted to the relevant agencies, but this has not been happening.
“No NIS money have been paying for we, (and) no back pay… They only promising we…is long this man (King) deh pun this thing. We can’t eat promises; I can’t carry promises to the market,” Grant stated.
Grant said City Hall owes some $100,000 in various payments to him.
Nigel Bascom, who operates in the Solid Waste Department, complained, “This is injustice going on with us for the longest while. I working here for 10 years now and you ain’t getting nothing tangible; everything is just promises, promises, and nothing in coming out of it. They got a policy saying that workers is the most important asset, and this that they doing in showing nothing like that,” he declared. According to the man, his retroactive pay was due since September 2017. He told Guyana Times that of 27 months’ salary, the M&CC currently owes him and other workers about 13 to 15 months.
Meanwhile, General Secretary of GLU, Carvil Duncan, explained to this publication that the union wrote to M&CC twice during this year, while detailing the issues that are affecting the workers. The letters seen by this newspaper were dated August 14 and July 9, 2018. They were both addressed to Town Clerk Royston King, who reportedly never responded. “…the uniform allowance for persons who used their own clothes when no uniform was provided, the non-payment of retroactivity payment due to workers for the years 2015 and 2016, (and the) compensation for workers who have worked and did not receive their correct severance pay, coupled with their refund from the Pension Scheme,” were a few of the matters raised in the letter written to King on August 14.
“King is claiming that he hasn’t got the letters,” Duncan said.
Nevertheless, the workers’ representative vowed that he is committed to stand by the employees until they receive what is owed to them.
“If this thing continues, the day care is going to be closed. We will close the markets, and we are going to ask the persons whom we represent that control the kokers to either shut it or keep it opened,” the Union’s Secretary threatened.
Questioned if he is concerned about the negative effects these actions might have, Duncan responded in the negative. “King is not concerned about the negative effects the Council has on the workers. Just look at the building, for instance, and he (Royston King) got anniversary, raising 19 and 20 something million. What are you celebrating? A failure?”
He explained that on many occasions workers have visited the NIS and were unable to get any money for glasses or sick leave, since the Council has not been paying the monies over to the relevant agencies although it was reportedly being deducted from the workers’ salaries.
Duncan has since vowed to continue daily protests until the workers receive their payments.
The Town Clerk subsequently informed that a meeting will be held later in the day to address the issues affecting the workers.