OBS members receive payment over January

The school transport over February is reportedly guaranteed. The government last week made sure that all of the school transporters received payment for services rendered in January. The bus and boat owners last week made it clear that the government had until Friday, February 3 to pay its OBS bills. They recently urged the government to make sure that payments go smoothly in order to prevent transportation strikes. “The education sector can’t carry the weight of a strike at the moment,” said Radjesh Ori, secretary at the OBS. The government has reportedly assured the OBS that they will receive payment at the end of every month. When the bus owners noticed that there still was no money in their bank accounts at the end of January, they assumed that the government would not keep its promise. They were then told by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture that the paperwork had already been sent to the Finance Ministry. That is when they decided to give the government until Friday, February 3. The OBS reportedly also wants to discuss an increase of bus fares. Ori pointed out that the OBS kept in mind that the government had a tight budget. The government had promised the OBS that things would be better in mid 2016 and that it was possible to start discussing a bus fare increase by that time. “The negotiations started in August 2016 but there isn’t anything solid on the table,” said Ori. The bus and boat owners receive a sum of money that is based on the capacity of their boat or bus, the distance that they cover and the condition of the route they take. “There are even fares of SRD 50 per day per bus. We can’t keep the engines running without a fare increase. We can’t make ends meet,” said Ori. The OBS has already presented a proposal regarding the fare increase but the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has not responded yet. The OBS reportedly wants a clear answer soon. The students and teachers from the hinterland and the surrounding districts are dependent on school transportation. A strike would therefore have a huge impact on this large group and the education sector could not take such a hit. The last time the fares were adjusted was in 2012.