“No one seems to know when we will be paid,” a worker, who requested anonymity, told Stabroek News yesterday, adding that the wait has been “very frustrating.” The workers, who were employed on a temporary basis, have not been paid since last December.
After they completed their assignments on February 28, the workers were given several dates for payment but they have all lapsed. The last explanation the workers received was that GECOM was awaiting the approval of the budget in order to effect payment. “Before the debate in Parliament they used that as an excuse, because up to that time a month had passed. Now, the budget come and done,” the worker explained.
Stabroek News understands that GECOM had submitted a request for payment several weeks ago but it is still awaiting the release of funds from the Finance Ministry.
The worker, who has worked for GECOM as a temporary worker on several occasions, said that delays in payments are always an issue but the situation has never lasted as long as the current one. “They always have an issue with payment but it never take this long before,” the worker said.
The worker explained that the office workers, including clerks for the deputy registration officers and clerical assistants, were employed a month before the process started for training and to finalise preparations for the exercise. They were later joined by scrutineers for the various political parties when the process began properly.
“They employed persons and we worked. It is an issue of manners,” the worker added, pointing out that it is reasonable to expect GECOM to give the workers an explanation. “You would have expected your employers to say we have a problem with finance, a concrete something They can’t have people calling every single day and when you call they vexed more than you,” the worker added.
