A number of other allegations have been levelled against city hall as several persons turned up yesterday to testify at the second public hearing set by the commission of inquiry.

Keith Burrowes

Among those speaking was union representative Carvil Duncan, of the Guyana Labour Union who said that there is great imbalance relating to how the council treats one set of workers compared to another. Giving an example of this Duncan said that an employee in the cleansing department working for some 16 years was not deemed as qualified for leave passage assistance, while a clerk who was on the job recently was adjudged a beneficiary.

Duncan said that in the municipality where there are some 1000 workers, 35% are clerical in an organisation that is supposed to be labour intensive.

Several others persons came forward to state their grievances against the municipality ranging from problems with tax statements, issues in the markets, and property issues.

The Acting Town Clerk Yonette Pluck and the Acting Treasurer Andrew Meredith were also called upon to give statements and the city’s Legal clerk also took a turn at the microphone.

Carol Sooba told the commission that the there is no provision in the Municipality act for the waiving of interest on taxes something which has been alleged against city hall in the Auditor General’s Report.
Meredith said that 65 to 70 percent of City Hall’s budget goes towards wages and salaries. He said that there is a constant battle as regards paying workers and service providers which includes those companies that pick up garbage for the city.

Meanwhile commissioner of inquiry, Keith Burrowes said that there has been a high level of interest in the inquiry and a number of private hearings have been held. He has had several meetings with Mayor Hamilton Green, the Deputy Mayor Robert Williams, Town Clerk Beulah Williams and Treasurer Roderick Edinboro. He said that other meetings will be held as the investigation progresses.

At the first hearing only one person turned up.