The back and forth between the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) managing the Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union Limited (GPSCCUL) is continuing with the GPSU saying that some its members are having to wait several days just to make withdrawals from their accounts with the credit union.
In June 2018 the High Court issued an order that re-instated the Government-installed IMC. GPSU First Vice-President Dawn Gardner revealed that the union received numerous complaints from credit union members who are also members of GPSU.
“The GPSU considers the complaints to be serious given that the challenges faced by members affect them economically because of the onerous measures imposed
GPSU executives at a press conference at the Union’s Georgetown headquarters. In the centre of the photo is GPSU First Vice President Dawn Gardner. To her right, President Patrick Yarde and left, Executive Assistant Indira Thakudin, along with other officials
by them an IMC installed by the purported Chief Cooperative Development Officer (CCDO) of the Ministry of Social Protection,” the executive explained.
Gardener told reporters at GPSU’s press conference that some GPSCCUL members have to wait around three days to receive their withdrawals from special savings, while members out of Georgetown have to make several trips to the city when applying for and accessing loans. She observed that some in the end are denied those very loans.
“These experiences have resulted from backward actions taken, which apart from being unenlightened are also insensitive to the circumstances of members,” she stressed.
The union’s head, Patrick Yarde, will this afternoon lead a meeting at GPSU’s headquarters in Georgetown to address the complaints its members made. The GPSU reaching out to credit union members comes months after the old management at the credit union called in to police to prevent the interim committee taking over. It has been reported that the credit union had an undue payment of more than $49 million to the Audit and Supervision Fund for the years 2002-2013.
Many of the issues that surrounded the GPSCCUL stemmed from allegations of financial improprieties whereby officials were accused of excessive spending for bonuses and travel which were tuned to the sum of $32 million. Some even alleged that a senior official at the Guyana Public Service Union (GSPU) paid out some $700,000 in bonuses to himself. There were numerous picketing exercises earlier this year by shareholders, who had called for greater transparency at the body as one member had claimed that he received no dividends for the five years which he contributed to the credit union.
