Scores of City Hall workers stood holding placards in front of the Municipality on Monday morning protesting their non-payment of salaries and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) payments by the entity.
The group of protesters who were represented by the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) consisted of members of the Engineering Department and the Solid Waste Department.
“We’re protesting here because of an injustice that [has] been going on here for the longest while. I wuking here 10 years now and you aint getting nothing tangible. Everything is just promises, promises and nothing aint coming out of it…Out of 27 months, they have 13 months left back for us and they said that they gon pay it this month and we cant get a date…,” one protester told INews.
Meanwhile, when this online publication made contact with the Town Clerk, Royston King earlier today, he asserted that the matter is presently being addressed at the level of the City Council and a meeting will be at 14:00hrs today.
“I’ve conveyed a special meeting for 2 o’clock this afternoon with the Human Resources Management Committee to deal with how we move forward,” he said.
Moreover, King recounted that the Council “awarded its workers a pay package across the board in 2015, a 5% in 2016, 2017, 7% and 2018, 8% across the board to all of its workers and these increases were based on anticipated revenues which were not realized by the council.”
As such, he explained that thus far, the retroactive payments have already been paid for 2015 and 2016, while City Hall is now working to pay out the outstanding amounts for 2017.
With regards to the NIS dues, the Town Clerk posited that discussions are ongoing and an arrangement is being put in place to ensure that the payments are made up to date.
Over the years, City Hall has been attracting attention for its inability to pay its workers.
The Mayor has been recorded in the media deeming the Municipality as “bankrupt” and in the past, Central Government has had to intervene with finances to provide a bail out.
