Former local government ministers Harripersaud Nokta and Clinton Collymore are among five of the highest-paid employees in the Ministry of Local Govern-ment, where they are employed as hinterland coordinator and advisor to the minister respectively.
The duo, who have been retained on annual contracts both earn more than a qualified engineer employed by the same ministry, who receives just $102,367 per month.
Minister of Local Government Ganga Persaud made the disclosure yesterday after he was asked by Deputy Speaker Deborah Backer, whether the two former ministers were among the highest-paid employees in his ministry as the estimates for contracted employees were being evaluated. The ministry’s budget was eventually passed by the Committee of Supply.
As opposition members combed through the estimates of the ministry several questions were asked about the ministry’s contracted employees.
Backer enquired about the respective lengths of the contracts of Nokta and Collymore and how long they have been serving as contracted workers. Minister Persaud responded that the two former ministers are on annual contracts and have been serving since 2007.
Persaud also revealed that apart from their salaries, Nokta and Collymore each have a maid, a gardener and a government vehicle assigned to them 24 hours a day, when Backer asked about their additional allowances. He said “vacation allowance is the same for all officers, a month salary; monthly allowances for maid and gardener are $25,000 per month each.”
Backer pointed out that the maid was receiving less than the minimum wage but Persaud rebutted that the maid was being paid a monthly allowance and not a salary.
On the issue of the vehicles at their disposal, Persaud said, “these officers, both of them, in order for them to execute their duties they are provided with transportation.”
Backer then asked, “Am I correct to say that the fuel lubricants and all costs of maintenance of the two vehicles are also covered?”
Persaud affirmed that this was indeed the case.
The minster responded in the negative when asked whether his ministry has a policy for contracted employees’ age limit as it pertains to at what age their contracts are no longer renewed.
“In other words, Sir, an 80 or 85 year-old can apply?” Backer quizzed.
“Yes,” the minister stated, while adding that performance and competency are the guide and not age.
At one point in the discussion of contract workers, Alliance For Change (AFC) MP Moses Nagamootoo interjected and asked whether the minister was aware that a proposal was made to the President for contracted employees’ recruitment to be frozen and all public service employment channelled through the Public Service Commission based on defined qualifications and the principle of meritocracy.
Nagamootoo went on to say that in the last budget they had “made cuts but some of those cuts were restored so we are placing on the record so no one would say, when the next budget is prepared and presented, that we have not given adequate notice.”
Persaud replied that he was aware that a proposal regarding contract employees was made to the President, however, “I am not aware of any decision with regard to such proposal.”
