Workers attached to the Canefield-Enterprise Neighbourhood Democra-tic Council (NDC) in East Canje Berbice have not been paid their wages and salaries for the past three months and are upset over the issue.
According to the frustrated workers, they have delivered a service to the NDC in good faith and expect to be paid the monies owed to them. Asking for their names to be withheld for fear of victimization, the workers noted that a similar incident occurred last year, for which the NDC is yet to pay them two months’ salaries. They have given up hope that they will be paid monies owed to them for work done last year, but are insisting they be paid for this year.
One worker explained that he has three daughters, two of whom are in secondary schools and he is dependent on his salary to maintain his family. He acknowledged that “the NDC doesn’t have money; I work here so I know. But I still got a family to maintain. How they expect us to survive?” Another employee of the NDC, who is a single parent, admitted that it was the benevolence of friends that has kept her financially afloat; even as she worries the generosity will run out long before they are able to see a dollar from their salaries.
Region 6 Chairman, David Armogan when contacted by Stabroek News explained that the NDC relies on the payment of taxes to survive and pay its employees and that it is currently cash-strapped owing to the fact that its main taxpayer, Guysuco, owes it $25M.
“The Canefield – Enterprise NDC, like every other NDC in the country would pay their workers from taxes collected from the area. That’s how it works”. Armogan stated that the yearly subvention given to the NDCs is strictly for the execution of projects. Therefore, “not a cent of the money can be utilized to pay workers”. He explained the problem to be one whereby if the NDC doesn’t collect enough taxes from the citizens of its community, “they would be in a dilemma to get funds to pay their workers”. Such is the problem with the Canefield – Enterprise NDC. “Guysuco owes them $25M in taxes because a lot of those areas under their jurisdiction are cane cultivation and areas that Guysuco utilize”, the chairman revealed.
Armogan noted that the sugar corporation is the largest single entity from which the NDC collects taxes, and that over 50% of its taxes flow from Guysuco. “So you can imagine if Guysuco doesn’t pay, the dilemma – the financial dilemma this NDC would experience”.
Although empathizing with the corporation which he says is in dire financial straits, Armogan said his administration has strongly encouraged the sugar corporation to pay their taxes. “We have spoken to Guysuco but all of us know what the position with Guysuco is financially to pay any huge sums of money, but we have even asked them if they could assist the NDC with even $1M so that they would be able to meet their financial obligations in the short term”.
He noted too, that representation has already been made to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development by the Regional Democratic Council on the workers’ behalf.
Armogan said the situation was discussed “to see what we could do to assist, even if they [ministry] have to give them [NDC] a grant”.
The third option discussed by the regional chairman was the possibility of the NDC applying for a loan from one of the commercial banks to offset its expenses until it is paid backdated taxes.
However, this idea was dismissed almost as soon as it was conceived.
“The NDC can also take a loan from the bank, but of course banks would only give you money if you have the ability to pay back.
And so they don’t even have money to pay their workers, banks are not prepared to extend a lending hand to them”.
Nevertheless, he promised that mechanisms would be put in place to ensure the workers are paid their wages and salaries before the end of the year. “If the workers are not paid in another month or so, before the end of the year I think the minister will intervene to give them a grant to assist. But right now we are pressing Guysuco to see if they will give them $1M in the interim”.
The workers are hoping the situation is remedied in the near future.
