Sweeper/cleaners picket Education Ministry

Aug 16, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....-education-ministry/

• continue to demand better wages

Yesterday, a number of sweeper/cleaners stood in front of the Ministry of Education’s Brickdam location to picket for better wages.

The major concerns of these workers are how they could survive with the little they are being paid and whether their children will be attired for the new school term as well as financed..

Many of them chanted, “No money no wuk!” “No one week pay, no two week pay!” “No lil bit money!” “September month, school gun dutty!”, in the heat of the mid-day’s sun, Cheryl Braithwaite, who is stationed at the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, disclosed that, “We are picketing, because of our salary, we want our full salary. We used to work eight hours and before school close they told us that how we gun work six hours, so right now we are at home. We worked for two weeks in July month. This month hay suh we suppose to work one week. When we push in our card (bank card) some people get $2000 and some people get $5000. Some people get none at all and that is not fair.” Braithwaite stated that she received $4000 and she “almost cleaned the whole school.”

Youlanda, who works at Tucville Primary School, explained that she has been working there for approximately five years. She stated, “We have children to send to school. Now September month we cannot send our children to school because we don’t have money. They want our children to go on the streets? It does not have enough crime on the street? I would like the government to come out to tell us something because this is not nice!”

Another picketer argued that she did not receive any salary for the month of August. She explained, “I go in the bank, I push meh card, there’s no money there for me. When I inquire, they say that how it don’t have. Meh other colleagues too, some ah dem ain’t get no salary for this month.”

Laureen, another sweeper/cleaner, who is stationed at South Ruimveldt Park Primary School, said “No circular has come to us that we salary and time has been cut. It is unfair to us that we work full eight hours, now two weeks we work in July, one week in August ,and I haven’t received my salary. I don’t know how I’m gonna go back to work and how my child will go to school. It is hard, so we asking the president to look into this matter. To help us, cause most of us are single parents and it ain’t easy, it very very hard.”

Vanessa Braithwaite said that she has been an employee for approximately 11 years and this is exactly what has been going on throughout the period of her employment. The pressures of this reality have become too overbearing and as a result she said, “We aint giving up until we get some kind ah justice or something, ‘cause remember, we get we children to send to school.”

Second Vice President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Dawn Gardener who was at the scene, highlighted that she stands in support of the cleaners. She said, “Our expectations are that by now it would’ve been addressed, but unfortunately it has not been addressed, so we’re wondering why.”

The group of sweeper/cleaners took to the streets last week and it was to no avail, hence their return. Despite the many attempts made by this publication to contact officials from the Ministry of Education to give their comment on the issue, none were favourable. Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson said that he was unable to say anything concerning the matter, among others who were either unreachable or “unable to comment”.