Dear Editor,
In relation to the letter entitled `Corriverton Town Council employees waiting for their increase since July 2013’ in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, I wish through this medium to bring clarity and correction on several issues and concerns raised in the letter.
1) By way of Ministerial Order dated 24th December 2013 Cabinet’s approval of a 4% increase of the remuneration of staff employed by Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and Municipal Councils (that included the Corriverton Town Council) was granted to all Municipalities except the Georgetown Municipality. Such approved increases in emoluments are always subject to the ability of the Local Authorities to pay and to sustain the increases.
2) While the Corriverton Town Council did bring its workers’ wages /salaries to the revised minimum as at June 30th, 2013; the Council did also seek approval to pay increases of wages/salaries to employees who were already earning above the revised minimum. However, it was determined that the Corriverton Town Council did not make any provision in its 2013 and even 2014 approved Estimates to pay such increases. Under the circumstances just described, the Minister could not and did not grant the approval sought.
3) It was the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, who the author of this letter opined is treating the workers of the Corriverton Town Council unfairly; who reminded all the Municipalities during a meeting summoned by him to discuss the preparation of the Town Councils’ 2015 Estimates that they needed to make provision for salaries/wages increases. The Minister advised that this provision be limited to a 5% increase.
4) The Corriverton Municipality has made provision in its 2015 approved Estimates for a 5% salaries/wages increase for its workers. And indeed the Minister has issued a Ministerial Order granting approval to the Corriverton Town Council to pay a 5% increase of salaries/wages to staff of the Corriverton Town Council and this has already been done. The workers have been paid the 5% salary increase,
5) Several Councils’ view that they can afford to pay and to sustain increases of emoluments are often not supported by the financial information presented and our assessment of performance. Indeed the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has determined through continual analyses of these Councils’ Budgets, Budget implementation and Financial Statements that Employment costs for some Councils are often above 50% of its Revenue (inflows) and this leaves little to provide the Infrastructural Maintenance and the Sanitation improvements and other vital services to which residents look forward, let alone to meet other recurrent expenditure.
6) We invite the Unions representing these categories of workers to sit with us and to examine ways and means by which Councils can garner more resources and optimally utilize these resources; striking a fair balance between (a) the needs and expectations of residents who pay their rates and who have a reasonable expectation that some social and infrastructural maintenance work will be done by the Council and (b) the workers who help to provide support services to the Councils.
Yours faithfully,
Norman Whittaker
Minister of Local Government
& Regional Development
