Warning that social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could create hardships for public transport operators, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has called for measures to be put in place in order to assist them and other affected workers.
Restrictions on the number of passengers which motor vehicles, vessels or aircraft are licensed to carry and the requirement that operators and passengers have personal protective equipment were announced on Friday evening by government. Several proposals in this regards had been previously announced by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, which prompted FITUG’s call as it said that additional measures must be put in place to counter the hardships that can be created for workers that are directly affected.
One of the first things that was pointed out by the umbrella labour body was the proposal made by the ministry to temporarily reduce the passenger capacity of taxis, buses and speedboats in order to provide adequate space for social distancing to occur. This has been formalised to restrict the number of passengers to half the number which the vehicle, vessel or aircraft is licensed to carry at any one time.
“In as much as [we] express our support, the decision has seen operators hiking fares in order to cover the costs of the lesser passengers they are ferrying,” FITUG said on Friday, while referencing actions taken by operators ahead of the formalisation of the restrictions.
As a result, it urged that measures be considered in an effort to assist workers and their families, including “a complete waiver of all taxes on fuel to reduce the retail prices of gas and diesel” in order to counteract the major costs already placed on the backs of transportation workers.
FITUG also proposed “the provision of free transportation for the travelling public to get to and from their homes”. It was suggested that minibuses be contracted or the utilisation of available state assets.
Lastly, the federation also urged that the government to provide “direct assistance to current public transportation operators”. In this regard, FITUG urged the relevant authorities to ensure that minibus operators are adequately compensated if they are going to be compelled to have a reduction in passengers to promote social distancing.
Speaking with this newspaper, President of the United Minibus Union (UMU) Eon Andrews said before the proposed restrictions were formalised, minibus operators had taken it upon themselves to ensure that their patrons were adhering to social distancing guidelines by limiting the amount of passengers they carry per trip.
However, contrary to this, Stabroek News observed on Friday that many minibus operators were still transporting passengers to their vehicle’s full seating capacity, with some also overloading.
On the other hand, other public transportation operators have, out of their own free will, adhered to advised social distancing protocols. Drivers that transport passengers from Georgetown to New Amsterdam have reduced the number of passengers that they carry, while ensuring that each passenger is properly sanitized before entering their vehicles.
Speedboat operators who transport people from the Georgetown stelling to the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling have also restricted the number of people that they transport per trip.
Andrews spoke out against operators who were raising fares without the proper consultation with their passengers. “It is something that should be agreed on between the bus driver and passengers. They have to be able to go through those means of communication”, he explained.
He posited that most minibuses are owned by other private individuals, and agreements should be made between them and the minibus operators that they hire. “[Minibus owners] are the ones who are supposed to have a talk with the persons who they give to drive their vehicles [about] how they can work things out. It is a private matter, not a government or union matter”, he opined.
Andrews also mentioned that he hopes that this situation can help to change the mindset of minibus operators who splurge their earnings without saving for hard times. “What we have are persons in this sector who like to live from day-to-day. They work, make a six grand, and then go and party out [all]. I hope that they will learn from this experience and ensure that they are never caught in this situation [again],” he went on to say.
FITUG also mentioned the numerous cries of its members about their inability to meet their usual obligations towards “utilities and hire purchase creditors”. The federation expressed their view that if the situation is to be prolonged, many workers can see restricted access to “many comforts of life”. In response to this, the FITUG has urged the government, along with the entities and agencies concerned, to approve the write off of any payment towards electricity, telephone and water for at least the next six months; the suspension of hire purchase payments for the next nine months and an appropriate extension of those contracts; and that hire purchase obligations ought to be written off for workers who have lost their jobs.
