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By Nicole Telford- The three hundred and sixty new companies added to Guyana’s economy is a welcomed addition to the citizens of Guyana and the Guyanese economy, but will it be beneficial to National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
That is the question Member of Parliament (MP) and Shadow Minister of Labour, Ms. Coretta McDonald, thinks is deserving of examination and answers.
“In terms of those new companies that have been formed and are doing business in Guyana, as an Opposition, we welcome them to Guyana; this means it’s more jobs being made available for our local people,” McDonald said.
The MP, who is also current General Secretary, Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), in an interview with Village Voice News, is questioning how the additional new companies translate to quality jobs and better working conditions for employees.
“It is amazing that citizens are saying that NIS and taxes are not being deducted from their salaries, I am not sure how NIS is going to benefit, and I am hoping that GRA and NIS are going to come down on those companies for their remittances, it is time that data of these companies reflect NIS and tax deductions,” she emphasised.
The figures on the number of new businesses were released by the Commissioner of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) during a Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee examination of the Auditor General 2019 Report.
The GTU General Secretary further explained that NIS is a safety net for employees if they are sick or otherwise incapacitated from attending work while GRA’s tax deduction is necessary for the development of Guyana.
McDonald said, she wishes to draw to the attention to the Ministry of Labour “the hundreds of employees working at these new companies and businesses who are coming forward and reporting to the (APNU/AFC) that in addition to no tax and NIS deductions they were not being paid rates stipulated by Guyana’s Labour Laws.”
She explained this includes time and a half on holidays and double pay on Sundays, singling out that most complaints are coming from particular sections of the business sector.
“As a matter of fact, some new stores where you have quite a lot of young ladies working from 7:00 a.m. and leaving after 6:00 p.m. are not being paid overtime nor is NIS being deducted from their salaries.”
Going further, McDonald said complaints were received that workers who were absent for whatever reason would see a day’s pay or sometimes two days’ pay being deducted from their salaries.
The union secretary noted “should an employee become ill he or she will have no cushion like NIS benefit because it’s not being paid by their employer to the NIS,” as she reiterated the call to the Ministry of Labour to examine the conditions of employees on the job.
The MP also shared her hope that government will start visiting these businesses soon, whilst raising concern regarding the need for some sort of punishment to businesses who do not abide by the labour regulations.
To this end, the shadow minister lambasted Minister of Labour, Mr. Joseph Hamilton, and the Labour Officers who are not doing doing their work, which she said is the result of “no leadership.”
“We have these new and old security companies and businesses in Linden, New Amsterdam and Essequibo where we are getting the complaints about underpayment.”
According to the MP, the Occupation Safety and Health Officers are supposed to be visiting those stores and they are lots of stores where the conditions of work are not right, the employees lunch break is half an hour and their pay is way below the minimum wage.
She said “the PPP/C Government continues neglecting what they are supposed to be doing with regard to labour sector.”
The shadow minister said Guyana has an entire Ministry of Labour now, explaining that “there was a hue and cry from the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Opposition under the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change Government (APNU/AFC) when there was just a Department of Labour but employees were happier during the APNU/AFC Government.”
McDonald is strongly of the view nothing is happening in the Ministry of Labour to protect workers from exploitation and denial of benefits he, which she said is ” most unfortunate.”
