| Several workers of the Linden Mayor and Town Council, yesterday proceeded on a strike to protest what they perceive to be the unfair treatment of workers. They also protested the perpetual late payment of salaries, which they consider to be grossly inadequate.They have vowed to continue the strike action until these and other issues are ‘appropriately’ dealt with.Some of the workers are even calling for the intervention of President Bharrat Jagdeo.According to the workers, they are not even receiving the basic minimum wage, and to add insult to injury, councilors receive no less than $35,000 per month.“Some of us does get as little as $24,800 per month, and we got to work hard to get it. Then we don’t even get it on time most of the times. But these Councilors they only calling meetings, and making decisions, which ain’t doing we no good, and they getting more money than we.“Tell me if that is not eyepass,” one worker declared.Some weekly workers who were to receive their wages on Friday, had, up to yesterday, not done so. “We got to send our children to school, we got to pay boat fare and all of these things, and we ain’t got no money. Right now we hungry.”The striking workers were also angry that the municipality had suspended the purchasing of boat tickets for them,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, thus adding to their hardships.“The li’l pittance we getting does done in two days, but we still got to cross boat and send we children to school. Where we getting the money from to do that? Most of us is single parents, so when they give we salary late,Cheap Jerseys, how we suppose to eat? Some of us does credit at the shops. How we gon pay the people?”The workers have pledged their support to Town Clerk, Patrick Inniss, who was recently suspended for reported inappropriate conduct, but who to date has not heeded the order.“We have no problem with the Town Clerk. He is good to us; he listens to our problems, and tries in every way to help us. Is the IMC we got issues with. Right now we want their removal.“And we want back the $300,000 that a certain councilor borrow, because they ain’t got money to pay we, but they lending councillor money!’However, according to IMC Chairman Orrin Gordon,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, in a press release, the current industrial action by employees of the Mayor and Town Council arose out of the perception by the former that the Town Clerk cannot be disciplined by the Council.Gordon noted that the story being circulated that the suspension of the Town Clerk has resulted in vouchers not being signed and employees being made to suffer and not able to receive monies due to them, is an utter falsehood.He added that the Council has clearly outlined plans to address the continuity of its operations in the absence of the Town Clerk, with Chief Constable Aubrey Chance, who is also a signatory to the Council’s accounts.Recommended SuspensionThe two week suspension of the Town Clerk was reportedly recommended by the Council against the background of his repeated disrespect to the Mayor and Town Council of Linden.These and several other shortcomings have been brought to his attention in written and verbal forms but all to no avail, according to the release.The most recent case involved the Town Clerk taking the Council’s minibus and proceeding to the Rockstone Fish Festival without seeking permission from the Council.“The Council’s assets are the people’s and the custodian is the Council. The administration is hired to do day-to-day management of the assets on behalf of the Council.“So if the need arises for taking the council’s equipment (especially out of the jurisdiction) for a non-Council affair then the right and proper thing to do is to get coverage from the Council.“That was not bad enough but the Town Clerk when called to account for his actions by a team headed by the Vice-Chairman, as instructed by the IMC chairman,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, told the Council’s investigating team that he did not see it fit to report to anyone and that he simply issued instructions for the vehicle to go to the fish festival.“This is arrogance to the highest degree and required immediate dismissal considering all that has gone before.”Four days before his most recent transgression, two letters were read at the Council’s extraordinary meeting from the Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Local Government) detailing the relationship that should exist between the Council and the Administration headed by the Town Clerk.One would have expected that he would have heard and read the contents very carefully and made efforts to correct his errant ways.“As Chairman of the IMC, I have never in the seven years as head of the municipality,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, used the Council’s equipment for any personal errand or activity. Not once. This can also be said of the Council’s Vice-Chairman.“If the current Council situation dictates that we must live the life of frugality and we are the head of the Council then all must follow suit. If the community which we represent needs differently then I am prepared to go. Straight and simple,” Gordon declared.Budgetary EstimatesGordon further pointed out that the community should ask the Town Clerk where is his Budgetary estimates for 2011 which should have been presented in draft on October 31, 2010 to the Ministry of Local Government and which, subsequently, should have been made in November to the Minister. Linden stands as the municipality to be embarrassed without such a document he added.In that document should have been provisions for improving the wages of the employees. The Town Clerk, unto now has still not yet presented this document to the Council- but yet expects the support of the employees in strike action,China Jerseys Cheap, when his disregard to his duties directly affects their ability to receive improved wages and benefits, Gordon noted.LegalityGordon is advising the instigators of the strike action to check the collective labour agreement (CLA) between the Council and the Guyana Labour Union at Article 28 headed Disciplinary Measures which states “The Council shall have the right to discipline an employee for cause according to the schedule of disciplinary measures attached…” Item 9 in the schedule relates to “Using Council equipment or machinery without permission”, with the first offence being warning or suspension.The Town Clerk was reportedly warned on several occasions about his attitude and communication lapses. There are several reports to verify this, according to Gordon.Reference was also made to the Act Cap 28: 01, section 117(1) which speaks to the Council exercising disciplinary control over its officers.“With respect to the first action taken by the employees and the union in a matter of grievance as strike action, then it is pertinent to point out that the CLA speaks to this question at Articles 29 (a-h) and 30 (a) which clearly state that the right to strike will be exercised when the procedures have been exhausted.“This is standard industrial relations behaviour. The community is getting disgusted with the lack of performance by the administration and to strike at every turn is unhelpful and disruptive. Quite frankly, the union and workers cannot rely endlessly on our compassion, patience and humanity.“There is therefore no basis for the actions of the employees and this is equivalent to voluntary withdrawal of their services. When it is considered that the employees are poorly paid and Christmas is near, it would appear as though the Council is the only party concerned about improving the workers emoluments and their lot.“Why use these poor employees in this sinister manner?”He said that despite all that is peddled, the Council in spite of its paucity of resources has seen it fit to make the working environment comfortable, increase its fleet of equipment for its solid waste management,NFL Jerseys China, done additional work to make work systems more efficient, collaborate with all agencies that can assist with its mandate and fought strenuously to garner more revenue to make a brighter day for the general staff.No one said it was easy but the Council requires a staff and Union that are receptive to ideas that will contribute to its own good, he added.This is not the first time that the employees have done this, with the support of their union, the Guyana Labour Union.It is also not the first time that Council’s efforts to bring order and stability to the organisation have been met with this alarming indifference, Gordon said.Despite this position, the Council has always taken the high moral and responsible role by refusing to be drawn into the lawless display and maintaining its principled position, disregarding the verbal and unfair assault on its head-the IMC chairman, he added.The reasons are that the majority of workers obtain the lowest pay and all the efforts to bring about improvements by the Council have been frustrated by some elements within the administration.A small cabal is benefiting and the majority are suffering but seeming not to understand their situation. The few benefiting are influencing the depressed with wrong information in order to continue their quest for personal gains, according to Gordon.It is hoped that the employees will see the need to identify errant behaviour that demands appropriate action to safeguard our residents’ assets and their own well-being, and the desire by some misguided persons to use them for their own purposes, he said. |
