Permanent status better suited for sweeper/cleaners - GPSU

Permanent status better suited for sweeper/cleaners – GPSU

Sep 26, 2022 News

Sweeper/ cleaners over the years have staged many protests calling for better pay

Kaieteur News – While the Government of Guyana is being lauded for finally granting the request for sweeper/cleaners to receive monthly salaries at the prevailing minimum wage of the Public Service, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) believes a more permanent employment arrangement should have been offered.
The GPSU noted, in a statement that while it is heartened at the move by the Government, the years of service, given to the country by sweeper/cleaners warrants them being co-opted into the permanent pensionable establishment.

The GPSU said it had always clearly expressed this requirement to Government, as it is considered most deserving to their security of tenure. “It is apposite to note that the GPSU wrote ad nauseam to Governments on the matter, with a view to alleviating the economic pressures on these workers …who over the years were condemned to a life of misery because of poor remuneration and no superannuation benefits at the end of their tenures,” the GPSU statement added.

The union said Government’s decision to regularise the pay structures and recognising the need for superannuation benefits, should have added some permanence to the perceived structure to ensure that retirement would come with some benefits. Government’s announcement of the new measure has left much to be desired, since the proclamation has not included effective dates or its retroactivity.

However, the sweeper/cleaners received no relief, mainly because of indecisiveness on the part of the Ministry of Education and regional administrative officials. This is now another attempt to resolve this matter, albeit to the detriment of the sweepers/cleaners. The GPSU views with grave concern Government’s hesitancy to rightly place sweepers/cleaners on the permanent establishment of the public service ensuring that they equally receive benefits, including salary adjustments, similar to that of other workers within their category.

GPSU President: Patrick Yarde

What is most alarming is that to date these workers are still being treated with little or no respect, even though they continue to give of their best, while performing duties under hazardous conditions, with little or no personal protective equipment.

Following the reopening of schools by Government, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic also require sweepers/cleaners to undertake more extensive and risky sanitization tasks because of its potentially deadly impact.

The GPSU is calling on the Government of Guyana to pay to all Sweeper Cleaners without delay the bonus paid to public servants for the year 2020 and the imposed seven percent pay-out to public servants for the year 2021, without delay.

In a statement last week government announced that Cabinet 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.

The Cabinet gave this directive in order for steps to be taken to regularise the manner in which sweeper/cleaners are employed and paid at public schools. Sweeper/cleaners have long expressed the desire to also be considered as regular employees at public institutions and receive similar benefits.

This decision brings to closure a long outstanding matter which has affected this category of workers in the public school system. Additionally, steps have also been initiated to address other pending anomalies in the salaries being paid to other categories of employees, including some teachers who are affected by inconsistencies in their pay grades depending on the year in which they were appointed. Government has already started working to take stock of this problem with a view to resolving it going forward.

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