The Port Mourant Market has been shuttered as a result of not being cleaned since Saturday owing to a shortage of labourers.
The Port Mourant Neighbourhood Dem-ocratic Council (NDC) which is responsible for the market is claiming that the Local Government Com-mission (LGC) has been dragging its feet with regard to employing the necessary labourers. The LGC could not be reached yesterday for comment.
As of yesterday afternoon it was unclear whether the market would be cleaned in time for Friday and Saturday when typically all the market vendors would be out to ply their trade.
Chairman of the NDC, Ishwar Narinesammy, explained that the Port Mourant Market requires a specific amount of workers to ensure it remains in a clean state. However, he said, persons would often walk off the job without informing them. “The job is not too much of a career work and when they get a better job they would go.”
Narinesammy said that the market should have a clerk and two revenue collectors, three security guards and four labourers during the week with six labourers on the weekend.
However, there is presently only one security guard and one revenue collector.
The chairman said that he and the overseer have repeatedly informed the LGC about the need to employ persons but nothing permanent has ever been done.
He disclosed that the commission had told him to publish the vacancies and forward the applicants’ information to them which he did but they have never facilitated or visited to oversee the interviewing of the applicants so as to employ persons to fill the positions.
However, according to Narinesammy, Secretary of the LGC, Nickolai Pryce, had verbally recommended that they go ahead and hire temporary labourers until the commission is able to visit to conduct the shortlisting and witness the interviews.
Stabroek News was told that there were two permanent labourers and after verbal permission was given, two other labourers were hired temporarily to ensure the market is cleaned and kept in an operational state.
However, after the two temporary labourers were not paid although they worked from September 11, since it was claimed that they were not hired through the correct process, they have refused to stay on the job since there is no certainty of them gaining permanent employment.
According to Narinesammy, “When we conclude the pay sheet and send it to local government New Amsterdam, they said that they cannot approve the pay sheet. We then communicate with the Local Government Commission and informed them what New Amsterdam told us and Mr Pryce said he would look into it but he said right now there is some rollover and he can’t sanction nothing because the commission reprimand him due to the fact that Orin McDougall [an independent councilor at the NDC] went there and make some reports of harassment and wrongful employment of staff.”
Stabroek News was also told, that after the two permanent labourers were told that their workload would increase they stayed away from the job and after being absent for a total of five days, they subsequently lost their employment.
Volunteered
Narinesammy noted that based on advice yesterday morning, they tried to get the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) workers to clean the market after which the Rose Hall Fire Service had volunteered to wash the market.
He said he spoke with the CIIP workers who agreed, but according to chairman, a councillor yesterday morning influenced the CIIP workers to refuse to clean the market, “He told them that that was not their job and since they are paid through the ministry he told them that he would ensure they are not paid by the ministry.”
The fire truck attached to the Rose Hall Fire Service was present at the market yesterday morning when Stabroek News visited but was forced to abandon their efforts since the market was not cleaned as they would only be able to wash the market after it was cleaned.
As of yesterday afternoon, Narinesammy and members of the Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council were unsure about the way forward as according to them, the matter is in the hands of the LGC.
Narinesammy observed that it would be up to the commission to decide on a process to hire labourers speedily. “During the course of the month [September] I went to his [Pryce’s] office and informed him of the further crisis that we are developing here and asking for early intervention in relation to interviews. He asked me to send all the applications to his office and we did that but to date they have never come,” a visibly upset Narinesammy stated yesterday.
He added, “This is the work of the Local Government Commission because they are being paid a hefty sum of money and they (are) not even taking our phone calls at times and we wrote them on several different occasions and when they feel to respond they respond at times.”
Meanwhile, residents located around the market have complained bitterly about the stench of the market and its condition yesterday. Residents said they are forced to leave their homes and go to their relatives due to the stench, “When them feel to clean the market them clean it and it get two open yard a back deh them a take all them thing and throw it in the yard,” one resident named Navin said.
He added, “We can’t make it with the smell, you na able eat you own food and since Saturday this market na clean.”
Stabroek News attempted to walk through the market yesterday but was unable to traverse the entire market due to the stench, garbage and worms on barrels and stalls.
Further this newspaper was told that the NIS office and a school nearby were forced to close early yesterday due to the stench emanating from the market.
