June 29, 2013 | By KNews | Filed Under News 

The process of how contracts are awarded by the government has been up for question for quite some time. Recently, carpenters attached to the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports have been complaining that contracts are being sabotaged. According to a few of these contractors, unless their colleagues are willing enough to pay a significant “small piece”, jobs are handed out only to those considered friends of the official who is closely involved in the process of issuing the contracts. Workers are also annoyed at not being provided the opportunity to view any of the tenders, and that assignments are given on the basis of favouritism. “If we are not his friends, we don’t even get to see the tenders that he issuing, so we have no chance at getting the good jobs,” one man told this newspaper. “If he like me, and we are friends, I gon be considered priority for the big jobs. And who give them the biggest small piece (money) gon definitely get the work,” he added. Those who depend mainly on works given to them have said that the situation has affected the livelihood of their families, especially their young children. “This cannot continue. Yes, we getting one, two private work, but that ain’t making a difference. We can’t continue just on that. We working with the Ministry, and I feel like we are entitled to li’l more regular jobs,” another contractor said. Kaieteur News understands that the official has been disciplined on many occasions for similar doings, at the level of the Permanent Secretary. Collectively, the workers are asking for clarity where the issuing of contracts is concerned. “Our aim is not to get anybody fired, but we want this individual to be disciplined so that we don’t continue to lose out on our daily bread.” The contractors are strongly calling on the higher ministry officials to once again investigate and to permanently discipline the errant individual.