With attempts to broker a settlement yielding no success, Mayor and City Council (M&CC) workers plan to intensify their strike from today, although some staffers returned to their jobs yesterday after salaries were paid out.
“Persons went back because they were waiting for us to give them an update. On Wednesday, all the markets will be closed; all sections will be closed because we are intensifying this action. We will be closed until we meet and if the matter is not resolved then we will continue to strike,” President of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU) Dale Beresford said.
Members of the General Workers Union (GWU) and the GLGOU took strike action since last Friday, mainly because of the non-payment of salaries for last month, the instruction by Town Clerk (acting) Carol Sooba to have spokesperson Royston King sent on leave, among other issues. They are also making a strong call for Sooba to be removed from the post of Town Clerk.
On Monday, the Stabroek and Bourda Markets were closed and vendors could not gain access until about an hour after the usual opening time. The Markets were without cleaning and security personnel and most persons operating at the facilities were concerned about their goods being secure during the evening after they would have left. However, some staff of the city municipality carried out the duty of locking up.
Yesterday, a visit to the Stabroek Market Revenue Office proved that staff had returned to work after being paid. “Everyone was paid. I don’t know if everyone picked up their cheques but they were ready yesterday (Monday) and the department is functioning again,” one worker told this newspaper.
A vendor in the market said that there was no difficulty during the morning and the staff was there and opened as usual. The only issue which remained, the man said, is that the washroom facilities remain closed and vendors were forced to walk to nearby restaurants, like Demico and KFC, to use the washrooms.
“We’s pay we rent every month, we don’t owe anybody, so it is unfair. If Regent Street and them places don’t pay, we do… $30,300 every month I pay in rent and I feel these people who does clean this market and so should be paid, because they are working every day and if the vendors are paying rent then they should be able to get pay,” he stated.
Beresford told Stabroek News that the two unions met with Keith Burrowes—head of the committee to implement reforms for the city—yesterday but the meeting was deemed unsuccessful since no resolution was reached. “I think it was basically to discuss the two issues that resulted in the industrial action. We were actually surprised having knowledge that he met with the Town Clerk up until last night (Monday night), we thought that she would have kept him abreast with what is happening,” he said.
No agreement
According to Beresford, Burrowes attempted to broker an agreement but to no avail since the two unions informed him that he did not have the authority to intervene. “We have a collective agreement between the unions and the administration and the only recognised organisation in Guyana is the Ministry of Labour, through the Chief Labour Officer. He acknowledged that and asked what are the issues, which we outlined; [and] which is not only payment, there are several outstanding issues, about 18 altogether,” Beresford noted.
“The Town Clerk acting, her conduct was a matter of concern, her attitude… Surprisingly, Mr. Burrowes acknowledged that he had complaints of her attitude. We are calling for the Town Clerk to go. In a short period of time, the Town Clerk has created major confusion within this organisation which has not resulted in any productivity or any positive, so we want her to go,” he stated.
Also, Beresford pointed out that Sooba met with the Chief Labour Officer yesterday but was informed that the unions had to be present. As a result, the meeting was rescheduled but the acting Town Clerk failed to turn up for that meeting. “The Chief Labour Officer is the only authority that can summon the parties in the event of an industrial action to have it resolved, not Mr. Burrowes or anyone else,” Beresford said. He added that Sooba still has not seen it fit to communicate with either union.
Meanwhile, responding to reports of Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud stating that concerns over Sooba’s qualifications was not an issue, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said that his comment was very insulting to the council. “According to the Public Service, if you are acting, you must fit the specification of the job,” Chase-Green noted.
She outlined the qualifications which are necessary for the position of Town Clerk, which are a degree in Management or Public Administration plus eight years of experience at a senior administrative level; or a diploma in Public Adminis-tration plus ten years of experience at a senior administrative level; and they also must be a legal mind, such as a qualified Attorney.
She noted that Sooba served 14 years as a legal clerk, not a legal officer as previously reported.
Councillor Ranwell Jordan considered the statement made by Minister Persaud as the “worst statement he has ever made in the form of directing to Carol Sooba… it can’t get worse than that.”
