City councillors yesterday agreed to await legal advice to iron out details for the resumption of services by the city’s two largest garbage contractors.
This decision was taken following a recommendation by the city’s Finance Committee in a report presented to council.
At a November meeting, the committee recommended that the council seeks legal advice to determine whether the contractual agreements between the council and the companies still stand, given the fact that there were breaches by all parties.
The council’s contracts with Cevons Waste Management Inc and Puran Brothers Disposal Inc for garbage collection in the capital are to expire in 2020.
The two companies on November 26th withdrew their services from the municipality, after it failed to pay a total of $160 million for the work they have done since June.
Last Friday, Cevons and Puran Brothers, in a joint statement, said they were awaiting the “green light” from the Mayor and City Council to resume operations immediately. The companies’ decision to return to work followed a successful meeting with the Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, who assured them that they would be paid in a matter of weeks. The minister pledged to clear $130 million of the city’s debt to the two companies, with the council expected to provide the remainder. “We are ready to return to the streets and start collecting garbage. We have worked hard to bring the cleanliness of the city to a standard and we will not like to see it return to that state. We are just waiting on the council to give us the go-ahead,” Chief Executive Officer of Cevons Morse Archer told Stabroek News last Friday.
At yesterday’s fortnightly statutory meeting of the city council, councillors argued over how to deal with the situation. While the majority agreed that the small companies currently being used to fill the void should remain in place until the council has evaluated the way forward, Councillor Gregory Fraser argued strongly for the two companies’ immediate re-engagement.
Fraser said the council should not chastise the companies because of their demand for payments. He pointed out that the council is well aware that both Cevons and Puran Brothers are capable of handling the council’s garbage collection and every effort should be made by the council to have the companies return. He further argued that the new companies are still feeling their way around in the communities and there have been complaints about them skipping yards during collection.
“This is not a yo-yo council… They can’t decide when they want to come back and when they want to leave. This council will not dance to the rhythm of the contractors. When there is no money they go and as soon as they hear of money being available they want to return. They have taken us for granted too long…,” Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, however, said yesterday in response to Fraser.
Chase-Green, who noted that the council is still looking for money to clear its debts to the companies, also disclosed that neither she nor the Deputy Mayor Akeem Peter was invited to the meeting between Minister Bulkan and the contractors and she is yet to receive correspondence from the ministry.
Chase-Green charged that the council is being held hostage by the two companies as they have been suspending their services near yearend for the past three years. “This council will take its time and look at this situation. We have to start moving in a different direction in 2019, we cannot allow for this to keep happening every time at the end of the year. They have been doing this and we have had to go begging for handouts and bailouts. We cannot continue with this,” she added.
Councillor Heston Bostwick said he was in favour of having the small contractors stay on to provide the collection services.
“It would seem as if Cevons and [Puran Brothers] have the city in a monopoly; that should not be condoned. I say that the council retain the small contractors,” he added.
Bostwick, however, noted that the small contractors should work to improve their efficiency when collecting garbage.
Councillor Ivelaw Henry also said much more needs to be done by the small contractors to improve their services. “The Solid Waste Department should have a policy under which these contractors operate. A standard should be set in how the collectors dress and collect garbage,” Henry said, while calling for the collectors to demonstrate a professional attitude.
“…Walking through Bourda, you see the unprofessional attitude of the workers and how they collect garbage in a whimsical fashion… we need standards for them to operate by,” he stressed.
Since the withdrawal of service by Cevons and Puran Brothers, five small companies – Garbage Eaters, Grandison, C&S Garbage Collectors, Trash Tech and Tristara – have been working with the city’s Solid Waste Department to maintain the garbage collection service to businesses and citizens.
Mayor Chase-Green also noted that they will have to work out a payment plan for the Ministry of Communities regarding how the council intends to pay the two companies.
The councillors agreed that they will convene at another time to discuss the return of the two major garbage collectors once legal advice has been obtained after which they will meet with the companies to discuss the way forward.
