The Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union (GPTWU) is moving to legal action against the Government of Guyana, in a bid to bring closure to a decades-long battle for pension owed to retirees of the Guyana Telecommunications Corporation (GTC) and Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT).
At a press conference held yesterday at the GPTWU located at East Street, Georgetown, President of the union, Harold Shepherd, said that they have retained the services of attorney Nigel Hughes. Shepherd disclosed too, that late last week, a letter was sent to Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, requesting that the government pays pensioners their lawful pension benefits. Failure to engage with the union, Shepherd said, and they will be filing legal action seeking more than pension benefits. He noted that the Minister was given seven days to respond to the letter sent.
Shepherd, during the press conference, reiterated the position of the union and assured members that they will fight to the end for their benefits. Over the years, the union has been fighting for workers to receive their full pension package. The union president added that they will be seeking retroactive payments and compensation for pain and suffering, in addition to full benefits in the court action.
He stated that while under this government there has been some increase in pension, it is far from what pensioners should be receiving. He also called upon the government to comply with the agreement, which was signed between the Government of Guyana and Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) in 1990.
Former employees of the GTC said when the company was sold to ATN, an agreement was made that their years of service would be transferred and their pension would be calculated on their last salary at the time of retirement. This agreement is not being honoured, the union stated.
“This is the last alternative and we are going to the courts. The courts are here to serve justice and this is our last recourse,” Executive Member Lennox Skeete said.
According to Skeete, in 2018, during the Labour Day celebrations, President David Granger had made a visit to the union’s office and was briefed on the situation. He stated that after the President listened to their concern, he said, ‘The Ministry of Finance must find the money to pay you all.’
“If this is the president saying this, why are we still in this situation? It leaves you to ask the question, who is running this country?” Skeete lamented.
He noted that several members have passed away without being able to access their rightful pension benefits and many others are sick and in need of specific medical care but because of financial burdens they are unable to access the much needed healthcare.
“We delivered on an average, 37 years of service when we were young. Now how come we cannot get what is owed to us for our service?” Skeete questioned.
David Wallace, an Executive Member of GTC/GTT Pension Association, said the delay by past and present government to address the issue is an insult to the pensioners.
“This situation remains the same. It is showing that we have uncaring governments who don’t want to pay us what is owed… We are begging for something that is rightfully ours,” Wallace emphasised.
In 2000, correspondence signed by Head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington and directed to the Secretary of the Treasury of the Ministry of Finance, highlighted the concerns raised by the Manager of Labour Relations at the then GT&T, who reportedly enquired about the payment of pension benefits to former staff of GTC, which was privatised in 1990, and from which all employee services were transferred to GT&T.
The correspondence noted that according to the Conditions of Transfer of Services from GTC to GT&T, a letter was issued to workers settling their benefits, a condition being that employees would be paid these benefits when they retired from GT&T as though they were in the Public Service under the Pension Act.
