Dear Editor,
Last week, I referred to the plight of a number of young women employed as Security Guards in the public and private sectors.
I made a case in point about Ms. Tracy Flue, who lost her three young children in a fire while she was at work, in what we call ‘graveyard hours’, because she couldn’t find any other employment.
Yesterday, I met a young man, 39 years old, who earlier secured employment as a driver, in a large private establishment.
I secured a copy of his Letter of Appointment which states as follows:- Salary, $70,000 per month and after P.A.Y.E and N.I.S. this left him with a grand sum of $51,000 per month.
Of course, if he opted or is required to work through his lunch period, he was offered $1,000 and if he again is required or opts to work additional hours, he can earn overtime money. This means he runs the risk of developing an ulcerated stomach. May I add this caveat, driving in any part of Guyana today is stressful and requires physical and mental stamina.
I hope Editor, this is not typical of the fifty thousand jobs, we’ve been told will be available as a result of policies and programmes by the present administration.
Mind you the cost of food and just about everything else has gone up and from my own experience certain friends in the private sector are still marketing poor quality goods, which is putting an additional burden on the ordinary man and here I use this opportunity to again call upon the government to immediately double the salaries and wages of all Public Sector Employees and this will force some of their friends in the Private Sector to follow suit.
In conclusion, may I make it clear that I am aware of some private sector businesses and entities that treat their employees well and pay decent salaries.
The time is near to expose those who boast that they are engines of growth while sacrificing the well-being of their employees.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Elder
