Employees residing in Government buildings to pay for rental

The Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) administration has registered its disapproval over attempts being made to have employees residing in Government buildings pay for rental.

According to Councillor Zaman Husain, copies of a 2001 correspondence were recently sent to persons who are occupying Government quarters in the region. An advisory dated June 8, 2001, states that there will be rentals attached to Government quarters.

Under the Public Service rule N3, occupants of Government quarters and public servants are required to pay rent, to be fixed by the Public Service Ministry, except where entitlement to Government quarters have been approved previously as a condition of service.

For unfurnished quarters, employees are required to pay 10 per cent of his or her salary, while they are required to pay 12 per cent for a furnished apartment.

The letter was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry, Nanda Gopaul, in 2001.

Husain explained that the conditions were never implemented, however, circulars were recently sent to workers who occupy Government quarters in the region.

“I think this will be affecting not only public servants on the outside, but internally; this will affect the workers at the sluice in the Canje River area and this will lead to persons leaving the job. They have said if they have to pay 10 per cent of their wages, then they will be working for nothing and they will leave the job,” he said.

According to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillor, many of those who are forced to occupy Government quarters can ill afford to pay the rent. He explained that many of them are in those quarters because of the functions they carry out at a specific location.

He also argued that many of those workers, at the time of their appointment, were not aware of this requirement.

Doctors are among the persons being asked to pay rental for Government quarters.

Regional Chairman David Armogan told the RDC that some doctors have threatened to leave, if this system is implemented. He called on the entire RDC to reject the implementation.

“When the messages we sent to the doctors, they threatened to leave the job because they are not prepared to pay 12 per cent of their salaries in rental. Now I noticed that recently the REO sent out notice that all those persons who are living in Government quarters to say that the law will now be implemented whereby you will to pay 10 per cent… So this thing will also affect those guys at the pump stations. Those guys live in small houses and some of them are in a bad state too and then they will charge these young fellas 10 per cent of their pay for renting those things. We are now putting additional burden on those people.”

According to Armogan, many of those who are employed in outlying areas live in what can be considered shacks and are paid minimum wage.