With the new salary scale for sweeper/cleaners taking effect from October 1, schools across the country have been notified of their updated conditions of service, even as reactions are mixed among the workers.
“Approval is hereby granted for all sweeper/cleaners of public schools to be offered employment on a full-time contract gratuity basis, at the prevailing public service minimum wage of $74,900 with effect from October 1, 2022, and conditions of service set out in paragraph 2 and Appendix A,” a circular dispatched by the Ministry of Public Service to the Ministry of Education, and which was shared with all schools, stated.
The document, seen by the Stabroek News, is dated Septem-ber 23rd 2022 and is signed by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Public Service Soyinka Grogan.
Under the new payment schedule, work hours have changed and the sweeper/cleaners are expected to be at their respective schools from 07:30 hrs to 16:30 hrs for those at secondary and primary schools, and from 07:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs for those at the nursery schools.
They should be on duty for eight hours on all working days of the week and will be granted 14 days leave every year with pay but the leave period must be during the school breaks. Schools break in Guyana for two months during the August term, three weeks in December for the Christmas holiday and two weeks for the Easter holidays.
The document explains that the change “does not affect any sweeper/cleaner already employ-ed on a full time basis on the fixed establishment.”
But it added that “any sweeper/cleaner already employed on a full time-basis on the fixed establishment should be taken into consideration along with the sweeper/cleaners to be employed on a contract gratuity basis and the total should not exceed the recommended/maximum amounts stated in Appendix A.”
School Grade
The Appendix referred to in the circular is a guideline for the employment of the sweeper/cleaners and the conditions of their service.
It gives guidelines as to how many sweeper/cleaners should be employed, according to the grade of schools.
The grading system for schools under the ministry of education looks at the number of enrolled students and not at performance at national examinations. The lesser the amount of students enrolled, the lower the grade.
Senior secondary schools are recommended to have six or a maximum eight cleaners attached.
For residential secondary schools, there should be nine cleaners where six are designated for the school and three for the dormitory.
Grade ‘A’ secondary schools are recommended have four or a maximum of six cleaners while Grade ‘B’ secondary, and primary schools three and a maximum of five.
Grade ‘C’ secondary schools, grade ‘B’ primary and grade ‘A’ nursery schools are recommended to have three cleaners with a maximum of four.
Two sweeper/cleaners or a maximum of three are recommended for Grade ‘D’ secondary schools, grade ‘C’ primary schools and grade ‘B’ nursery schools.
In primary schools classified ‘D’ and ‘E’, and in nursery schools with grades ‘C’ ‘D,’ a maximum of two sweeper/cleaners would be allowed.
After more than a decade of lobbying by the category of workers, about their paltry salaries and non-permanent status, government last week announced that with immediate effect changes would give them minimum wage but with full-time contracts and gratuity.
‘Long overdue’
Stabroek News yesterday spoke in person and via phone to sweeper/cleaners in areas across the country. Some asked that only their first names be used while others requested anonymity for different reasons.
At the Smyth Street Nursery School, sweeper cleaner Keisha Lovell said that she is relieved that the issue is finally addressed and welcomes the change.
“I am very glad to hear this. We had to submit our documents, such as T.I.N and ID and NIS number and so on to the HM. I worked for eight years, so I waited long for this. Nothing before God’s time and this is his time…,” the mother of two said.
Another cleaner at a George-town school said that her head teacher had not yet explained what the benefits would be, but is hoping that it is enough to be celebrated. “All I hear is what went on the news and that we will get minimum wage and a lil something more as a gratuity. I don’t know how the gratuity thing working, If it will be a every six months or year or what but I am grateful that when it done and settle, a getting a something more,” the middle aged woman who asked to be called Miss May, posited.
Another cleaner, Barbara (only name given), said that after being in the system since 2005, the news of the change is “long overdue” and she will wait to see what it means “in terms of dollars and cents” .
At a school on the East Coast of Demerara a middle aged sweeper/cleaner rejoiced at the news, even as she lamented the current conditions under which she has to work.
“How ah feel? Same way you or anybody would feel if dem hear they getting lil more money; I really happy that ah could do something more for meh family. Some a dem girls saying it could be lil more and all a duh, but I not about that. Start from where you deh and this is certain. I not holding to promise. The old people say one one dutty is build dam. I now get the mud to start leff me leh ah feel happy.”
Another employee at another East Coast school said that she was relieved that there is now structure in the payment and welcomes the standard salary she will receive. “This thing ain’t easy. The HM we work under get a power problem. She expects us to sit as guards in front of the toilet whole day, with a key. Then every month you have to do up your hours you work. To send it in is another story. They don’t want to pay for this hour and that day, and is one confusion to the next. You know what it is to be cleaning a whole school and then still got to guard toilet? So I glad this here come fuh sort out the whole matter,” she said.
In Berbice, sweeper/cleaners were notified through their head teachers that between yesterday at 14:30 hrs and this morning, they have to meet at the regional office to sign their contracts. The news was welcomed by all those who spoke via phone, although it was clear that some still did not understand what the terms of the agreement were.
The payment and conditions of service of sweepers and cleaners in public schools have been longstanding issues dating back to 2011 when Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was then president and had promised to raise their salaries to at least minimum wage.
“The Cabinet, under the chairmanship of His Excellency President Irfaan Ali, has recently instructed that sweeper-cleaners at all public schools be immediately offered employment on a full-time contract gratuity basis at the public service minimum wage level,” a statement from government announced last week.
“The Cabinet gave this directive in order for steps to be taken to regularize the manner in which sweeper-cleaners are employed and paid at public schools,” it added.
Government said that its decision will bring closure to the long outstanding matter which has affected this category of workers in the public school system.
Shortly after the announcement, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) responded by saying that the decision was “heartening” but expressed concern at their employment status being contractual.
Stabroek News was told that the decision came on the direct order of Ali, following complaints made during countrywide outreaches. Ali has said that issues relating to education and the delivery of education are a top priority for him—a point he recently echoed at a United Nations summit.
“This is part of his [the President’s] commitment to address matters head on and not have easily solvable issues drag on,” Communications Director for the Office of the President Suelle Findlay-Williams had told the Stabroek News when contacted.
