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School cleaners protest US$79 salary
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol Thursday, 01 September 2011 12:11
Several government-employed sweeper cleaners on Thursday took their plight of lowly-paid salaries- half the minimum wage- in front of the Ministry of Finance. Under the umbrella of the Alliance For Change (AFC), the female-dominated picketers also chanted slogans, calling for better pay.
Miriam Fordyce, who is a sweeper-cleaner at Hopetown Nursery School, West Coast Berbice for more than 10 years, said she experiences great difficulty surviving on GUY$15,800 (US$79) per month. The party noted that the minimum wage is $32,207 (US$161), an amount that the cleaners are not being paid. Depending on assistance from her husband and other persons, the mother of five children said she is also not entitled to benefits from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). “We don’t pay NIS so if you are sick, you cannot carry in sick leave, I feel bad because we are not getting any benefit if you sick,” she told Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com).Rushell Britton,34, of Hopetown Primary School is in a similar plight, saying that she is often forced to borrow to sustain herself and her three children. “Sometimes things rough with the children, sometimes I borrowing, borrowing when I get the money all got to pay back in debt. I ain’t seeing my way,” she told Demerara Waves Online News.
Fordyce and Britton were among those who picketed for fatter pay packets outside the Finance Ministry. While chanting “Reduce Jagdeo pension and pay the sweeper-cleaners their money,”, “Increase salary for sweeper cleaner, less pension for Jagdeo,” and “Where is the democracy in the distribution of wealth,” they also held placards. The slogans on the placards included “AFC says school cleaners are human beings too,” “AFC says school cleaners provide a valuable service too,” “Where is the concern for the working class,” “AFC says $15,000 per month a national disgrace” and “AFC says school cleaners deserve a decent wage,”
The AFC claims it has seen a directive by the Finance Ministry to the Regional Democratic Councils that that sweeper cleaners must be considered contract service providers and not as public servants and so they cannot be paid the minimum wage. “The AFC submits that there is a strong element of criminality associated with such directive,” said the party, adding that many of the sweeper cleaners have been working for at least 10 years. The party noted that several schools have been asking parents to contribute monies to help pay that category of workers more. “It is debasing and dehumanizing for persons to work for less than a minimum wage,” said party presidential candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan from the picket line.
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