Contract workers protest for public servants salary increases

Contract workers attached to the Special Projects Unit of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure staged a protest action Monday. The protest was in light of workers not being able to benefit from the 1% to 10% retroactive increase for public servants.

The workers said that while they did not benefit from the $50,000 bonus offered to public servants last year, they had no problem getting their retroactive increase last year. Another contract worker said, at a meeting earlier in the year with Ministers David Patterson and Annette Ferguson, a promise was made to take workers off of contracts and integrate them into the public service system. “Contract or contract not, last year we got our money. Our money should be here,” a worker explained. The workers claimed that they have completed considerable work throughout the city. They said that 60% of the potholes in the city have been fixed. Many of the city streets have been rehabilitated; the road signs have all been repainted, bridges repaired. The men said that weeding of parapets fall under their duties. Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, said that the ministry plans to have the contract workers attached to the special project unit, transferred to the public service system. This, she added, will take some time. In relation to the current retroactive increases, the minister said the finance department at the ministry, made up the payment for the workers, but it would be up to the Ministry of Finance to decide on the payments. (Kaieteurnews.com)