By Fareeza Haniff
![Rodney COI in session. [Stabroek News' Photo]](https://i0.wp.com/www.inewsguyana.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/COI-2.jpg)
Ten employees from the Verbatim Reporting Unit of the COI were last paid in March 2015 and have been complaining about their salaries for the months of April, May and June, claiming they were at the office even though there was nothing to do.
The employees claim they were promised to be paid but Denbow during a telephone interview with iNews on Tuesday, August 18 explained that the contracts for those employees expired on March 31 and that they have not worked since. He clarified that the government cannot process payments for those who do not have contracts and he cannot pay for work that was not done.
“Could you ask them if they have a contract for the period?…we cannot pay or process payments without a contract…they are asking for payments from 1st April; they did not work 1st April, they don’t have a contract for that period. My position is that all of them, their contracts expired 31st of March, that’s when the commission went out of hearing for election, therefore there was no contract; there was no work and as far as I’m concerned, there is no payment,” Denbow told iNews.
Denbow pointed out that payment is being processed for those employees who signed contracts for the month of July and they are expected to be paid on Wednesday, August 19.
The new government brought a premature end to the COI, which held its final hearing on July 27.
From someone who has done this before, it’s was not a supprise. Several COI’s have been administrated by Hugh Denbow, also ending in workers not being paid.
No paper trails of the expenses. The workers pay slip is ‘cash in hand” and their signature in a ledger. No actual proof of how much the administrator was receiving for the payments of these workers from the past government, or if all that he was receiving on their behalf was being fowarded to the workers in full. All we know is that in the WRCOI, a hell of a lot of money was ‘SPENT’.
None of the workers were told not to return to work because of a break for elections, they were actually told by Denbow,that their contracts were ready, and they will be paid, this went on month in, month out. Some of these workers came from as far as Timheri, standing transportation and meals expenses daily, from their own pockets, (or by supporting family). Some managed, some did not, some families broke up because of loyalty to their only bread winning income, and so not being capable of supporting their children by using the little money from previous salaries to report to work, for which they were never paid.
But there is a GOD, and some people will rot in HELL!!
What Is A contract Of Employment?
Any agreement between two or more persons with someone who needs or solicit their services. It an be a VERBAL or WRITTEN contract. Such contracts are Universal and Historical.
When any contract between two or more persons are mutually agreed upon, the signing of some document to make it a legally binding is in order. But in some cultures, a handshake is enough to seal the deal.
Whenever a person/s hired to do a certain task/s, he/she should be given the tools to do the job, and if necessary, supervised, and instructed on its’ execution.
If the employer cannot keep the employee/s constantly engaged in any task/s according to the contract. Then it is NOT The Fault of The employee, if he/she is idle, or does not have enough to keep him/her occupied.
Finally, all wages/salaries agreed upon, MUST be paid to that employee/s, regardless of any temporary break in service.
http://www.inewsguyana.com/rodney-coi-employees-without-contracts-will-not-be-paid/