Georgetown : Government today took steps to ease the plight of the vendors affected by the closure of the Bourda and Stabroek Markets. An extraordinary meeting was held last evening between officials of the Mayor and City Council and the Ministry of Labour and a decision was taken to effect the wages and salary increase for the striking workers, hence the markets will be opened from tomorrow as usual.
Early in the week, the Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU) withdrew the services of its members, because the Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown had refused to accept the recommendations of the council’s finance personnel and training committees, with respect to improved benefits and working conditions for the union’s workers. This was under a collective bargaining agreement that the union had accepted.
Efforts by the Town Clerk Carol Sooba to address the issue saw a “round robin” attempt being made to the council to at least approve the City Council workers’ benefits. Five councillors signed on to the agreement, but several others, including the Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase Green refused or otherwise abstained.
However, controversies abound because of alleged misrepresentation and discrepancies on the agreed amount in terms of the increases for union workers.
Prior to this evening’s meeting, Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul and Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker met with vendors of the Stabroek and the Bourda Markets and also with the Town Clerk and sought to bring resolution to this current impasse. The Chief Labour Officer also engaged the Union and the Council on the issue.
Government’s main interest lay in its concern for the many vendors, who were unable to access their stalls in the markets on Monday and part of today. It was however, reported that the Clerk of Market did facilitate a number of the vendors, who had perishables, and that they were able to access their produce.
Dr. Gopaul, shed light on the issue of the ‘blame game’ and ‘rights of the workers.’ He emphatically declared that these workers should not have been treated with such gross negligence.
In affirming his support and commitment to rectify the on-going impasse, the minister placed the blame squarely on City Hall, for not ensuring that the workers’ interests were looked after, in the first place.
He also explained that “… as the City Hall workers take the strike action, their interest must be protected … They have an obligation to ensure that vendors conduct their business, without any loss, in terms of both the sale and in goods.”
Dr. Gopaul made mention of his awareness that some vendors deal with perishables, and he committed himself to facilitate appropriate and immediate action as he felt that the vendors were suffering unjustly because of the selfish nature of City Hall.
