Staff shortage seriously affecting Programme – Works Committee
Region 10 RDC fraud allegations
– Works Committee
It has been over a year since several employees of the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Democratic Council (RDC) have been off the job after allegations of fraudulent activities were levelled against them.
The employees of the Regional Works Department, while they continue to be paid,
Regional Works Department Chairman, Councillor Charles Sampson
have not been allowed to perform their duties, as investigations continue.
Regional Works Department Chairman Charles Sampson told members of the Council recently that the absence of the staff was seriously affecting the smooth flow of the Regional Works Programme, and expressed frustration over the issue.
“These people have been off the job for over a year. What is the position? It is unfair, totally unfair…to have employees on administrative leave or whatever leave, for one year and we ain’t hearing anything about it. Every day you go on the road, people asking you what is going on…I’m saying that the absence of these people, who to my mind, were very knowledgeable, has affected our Works Programme, is affecting the performance of our Works Department,” Sampson said.
The revelation of alleged fraudulent activities, involving employees of the RDC as well as contract employees, were made public by Regional Executive Officer (REO) Gavin Clarke, in January of last year, when he outlined several discrepancies involving the Council’s money, during a statutory meeting of the RDC.
Auditors were then summoned to investigate the offences, which had also engaged the Police’s attention. Officers of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), and the State Audit Department as well as the Office of the President (OP) were summoned to conduct investigations and had interviewed a number of internal and external RDC staff.
Three employees were initially charged and released on station bail in relation to the allegations. To date, they remain off the job, pending results of the investigations. A call for replacement staff to fill the posts of the employees, the REO had stressed, yielded no results as he indicated that the department was already severely understaffed.
