KINGSTON - Salary negotiations between the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) are still ongoing, with GPL awaiting a response from the Union on its latest offer.
Through a November 16, 2015 letter, GPL invited the GPSU to begin negotiations on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. This was following advice received from the Ministry of Finance on the applicability of the 5% and the $5,000 salary increase announced by Government.
At this meeting, GPL made an offer of a 5% salary increase (inclusive of 2% across-the-board and a 3% in-scale increment) and $10,000 monthly ($120,000 for 2015) as one-off payment, both with effect from January 1, 2015. GPL also proposed an increase in the mileage allowance for use of personal vehicles from $135 to $150 per mile and an increase of $100 in meal allowance for overtime work. These were also with effect from January 1, 2015.
In response, the Union requested a 5% across-the-board increase; $200,000 ($16,660 per month) to be included in salaries for 2015; an increase in the meal allowance by $500; and a mileage allowance of $220 per month.
On November 30, 2015, the GPSU wrote to GPL, rejecting the Company’s offer. In turn, the Union proposed a 5% across-the-board increase and requested that the GPL’s offer of $120,000 for 2015 be added to the current annual salary, with effect from January 1, 2015.
On December 8, 2015, GPL revised its offer, accepting the Union’s proposal for the 5% increase. GPL also restated its offer of a $120,000 one-off payment, along with its initial offer of increases in meal and mileage allowances.
Currently, GPL is awaiting a formal response from the Union to this revised offer.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) hopes that an amicable resolution can be reached in this matter shortly.
KINGSTON - Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Honourable Annette Ferguson, paid a visit to Port Kaituma, Region One on Thursday, December 10, 2015 where, she heard a number of complaints from the residents.
Among the complaints raised was the deplorable state of roads in Port Kaituma along with inadequate electricity supply from the Kaituma Power and Light (KPL) Company.
Minister Ferguson spent the entire day in the community where she paid visits to several areas, including the Port Kaituma Community Hospital; the KPL Power Plant; and the new Port Kaituma Hospital, which is currently under construction. During all of these visits, Minister Ferguson assessed the conditions of infrastructure, particularly the roads. In regards to these roads, Minister Ferguson expressed great displeasure at their state and noted that they would have been the product of years of neglect.
At KPL, Minister Ferguson spent more than an hour discussing problems at the power plant with Shawn James, KPL’s Chief Executive Officer. James outlined the problem areas, including constant blackouts and issues with engines. He explained that currently, Port Kaituma residents are privy to electricity only from 5:00pm to 7:00am each day, due to engine problems. Though KPL has three engines, only one is currently functional; the other two engines are down while repairs are being conducted on one of them.
James indicated that when the remedial works are completed, Port Kaituma residents will have 23 hours of electricity. James also shared that the residents, particularly the businesspersons, were reluctant to pay their bills due to the infrequent electricity.
There are just over 600 residences on the KPL power grid, James added. He further said that while outlying areas have no access to electricity, KPL is looking to extend and provide a secondary supply of electricity.
Minister Ferguson also focused on the internal administration of KPL and questioned James on the working conditions of the 11 staff members. In turn, James indicated that staff members have been victimised by residents in the past and oftentimes feel unsafe. He said too that they would have received threats.
“We are like, anybody else, servants; there are things outside of our control and that does not give anyone the right to threaten us,” James emphasised.
In response, Minister Ferguson emphasised that the issues of the past needed to be resolved today. She noted that while the new administration had a herculean task of fixing old and inherited problems, it was nonetheless ready to rise to the challenge for the sake of the Guyanese public.
“We’re a new administration and I prefer for us to be straight,” Minister Ferguson stressed to James. She went on, “At the end of the day, it’s not about you and I; it’s about the people here in Port Kaituma and ultimately the entire country.”
She stressed that cooperation is necessary for the betterment of the region.
Meanwhile, Minister Ferguson also participated in a joint community meeting with Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Honourable Sydney Allicock. During this meeting, members of the community were able to interact with the Ministers and voice their concerns. Minister Ferguson took the lead in this meeting and responded to questions, the majority of which touched on much-needed infrastructural development in Port Kaituma. She urged the residents to remain patient and said, “2015 is soon coming to an end but I can assure you that Port Kaituma will be taken care of.”
Other broached issues included the reopening of mining lands; regularisation of the community; erosion of the Port Kaituma waterfront; poorly managed garbage collection systems; exploitation of workers; poor healthcare facilities; and inadequate water supplies.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) wishes to express its growing concern over erroneous claims published in the Guyana Times, this time in the newspaper’s December 4, 2015 edition, under the headline “Students forced to pay to use Berbice water taxies (sic)”.
In the article, it is claimed that schoolchildren and nurses – groups that are covered under the Government subsidy and which are not required to pay fares – are being forced to pay to travel with the water taxis. According to the article, this information was relayed by Region Six Chairman, David Armogan.
According to the article, “On a daily basis, a total of 300 children cross the river from Rosignol to New Amsterdam to attend school.” The article further stated that the names of each of the 300 schoolchildren were collected from the Region Six Department of Education. However, the article said, “the information only resulted in a one month free pass.”
When contacted by MPI, Mr. Armogan confirmed that he did indeed speak with the Guyana Times. However, Mr. Armogan shared that the “schoolchildren” he received complaints from were from the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, a post high school institution. He said that the complaints were less than a dozen. Mr. Armogan further indicated that he did not receive any confirmation that those at the secondary level and below were being forced to pay the fare. This information, he added, was relayed to the Guyana Times.
MPI wishes to stress that the Government subsidy covers schoolchildren up to the secondary level. Those above the secondary level are considered adults and are therefore required to pay the water taxi fare.
At no time during the Guyana Times article was it indicated that those who were required to pay fares were outside of the Government subsidy. Instead, the impression given was that young students, who are covered under the Government subsidy, were nonetheless being forced to pay.
In regards to the article’s claim that nurses were also being forced to pay, MPI has checked with its management and has also found this claim to be false.
The Ministry therefore views the Guyana Times article as an intentional act to malign it and ultimately the Guyana Government. MPI is disappointed with Guyana Times’ continued peddling of malicious misinformation and is staunchly calling for a retraction of the article in question.
MPI would like to emphasise that the sole purpose of the Berbice water taxi service is to provide relief to the Berbice public.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) has installed streetlights in the community of Timehri North, a week after Minister David Patterson visited the area.
The action was taken in an attempt to make the community safer for the residents, particularly schoolchildren.
The residents, during the meeting held with Minister Patterson on November 29, 2015, had the opportunity to voice their issues and solutions for the community. Amongst the problems outlined was the lack of streetlights in the area. Many residents expressed concern for the safety of late workers and schoolchildren and opined that streetlights would go a far way in reducing crime.
Hence, MPI saw it fit to provide the community with this much-needed infrastructure. On Sunday December 6, 2015, a total of nine 250W lamps were installed, from the “Prison Road” to the “Amerijet Junction”.
Residents have expressed gratitude to the Ministry for its swift action.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) on Saturday December 5, 2015, participated in an outreach to Essequibo and used the opportunity to meaningfully interact with the public.
The outreach was put together by the Office of Prime Minister, Honourable Moses Nagamootoo, and was held at the Anna Regina Multilateral School. The outreach, under the theme “Rally for Guyana”, was the perfect opportunity for Essequibians to voice their concerns as well as grill public officials on development in the county.
Present for the occasion was Prime Minister Nagamootoo; Minister of Communities, Honourable Ronald Bulkan; Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Noel Holder; and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Honourable Valerie Garrido-Lowe.
During the outreach, representatives from MPI agencies were on hand to interact with those in attendance as well as answer all questions. The MPI agencies that were present were the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), Work Services Group (WSG), and the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL). These agencies were represented by a six member team.
WSG and GPL were the most visited agencies while those who visited expressed pleasure with the service received from MPI during the outreach.
KINGSTON - Following the cries of residents of Wakenaam, the administration of the Wakenaam stelling, under the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, will come under scrutiny.
These complaints were voiced by the residents to Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Honourable Annette Ferguson, during her visit on Monday December 7, 2015.
The visit was a part of Minister Ferguson’s mandate to interact directly with the populace.
During discussions, many residents expressed concern with the administration of the Wakenaam stelling, particularly in relation to its erratic schedules.
Several residents gathered at the Wakenaam stelling and explained to Minister Ferguson that there is oftentimes no fixed schedule, resulting in many inconveniences.
“There are many days we come for a certain time, only to hear the ferry has left,” one resident said. He further said that he would have been left at the Parika stelling on at least three occasions.
Another resident added, “We are not asking for $10B or $15B to be injected into this stelling; all we’re asking is that those who are part of its administration to do things that are of maximum benefit to the passengers.”
The residents also expressed displeasure with the fact that the ferry service is only available a few days each week and requested the resumption of daily services. The residents, particularly the businesspersons, further stressed that the alternative of speedboats was too expensive in the long run while the erratic schedule would have severely affected their businesses.
The residents all agreed that a better ferry service would ultimately promote Wakenaam’s development.
“The problem is not anything big; it’s just managerial problems here,” one man said to Minister Ferguson. He said that issues such as a low volume of passengers should not determine whether the ferry service is available or not. “Transport and Harbours is supposed to provide a service to the people rather than acting like a business so it does not matter if there are not enough persons,” he emphasised.
In turn, Minister Ferguson expressed concern at the problems highlighted.
“We are providing a service and this is a service that the Wakenaam people are depending on,” Minister Ferguson said. “We can’t suffer them,” she emphasised.
Minister Ferguson further assured the residents that the issues raised will receive immediate attention.
However, she also urged the Wakenaam residents, particularly the business community, to play their part. Noting the dilapidated state of the Wakenaam Post Office, Minister Ferguson indicated that there are little things that can be done by the residents to benefit the Wakenaam community.
Meanwhile, Minister Ferguson made several other visits on Wakenaam. Amongst her stops was a trip to the Wakenaam Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power plant; the construction of rip-rap at Maria Johanna; a visit to the Wakenaam Sea Defence Office; and an inspection of the Wakenaam Post Office.
During all of these stops, Minister Ferguson interacted with residents and officials to determine areas of concerns and the conditions of which they were living and working. Some of the issues raised were the degradation of sea defence as well as poorly maintained roads.
Many expressed pleasure with Minister Ferguson’s visit to the island.
Minister Ferguson’s five-hour visit concluded at a meeting with several more residents where further concerns were raised. Out of this meeting, Minister Ferguson promised the residents that she and a team from MPI will return shortly to address the issues raised.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) is looking at ways to improve Guyana’s sea defence system, and as such is in the process of finalising a coastal engineering design manual, with the support of the European Union (EU).
A two-day staff training workshop kicked off today, December 8, 2015, at the Cara Lodge and Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson as well as EU Ambassador to Guyana, Jernej Videtič, delivered brief remarks.
Under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) framework from 2007 to 2013, EU–Guyana cooperation has focused on a number of areas, including sea defences.
The beneficiary of this latest project – the production of a Coastal Engineering Design Manual – is the Guyana Sea and River Defence Division, under MPI.
During today’s workshop, Minister Patterson explained that coastal engineering management is particularly important to Guyana due to factors such as climate change and the fact that Guyana is below sea level.
Minister Patterson thus emphasised that Guyana must look at sustainable and long-term solutions to sea defence.
“It’s very important that we recognise that coastal engineering extends way beyond the construction of physical sea barriers,” he said.
He further said the production of a design manual and the discussions which would come out of the workshop were important in the Government’s fight to ensure that the citizenry is protected.
Minister Patterson also acknowledged the EU’s role and noted that the international body has been a major donor to Guyana in regards to sea defence. He said too that it was important that the Ministry and EU came together to train staff and inform them about the manual before it is implemented.
He expressed hope that the workshop would foster more innovative methods of sea defence.
Similarly, EU Ambassador Videtič also hailed the need for sustainability in Guyana’s sea defence system. He stated that coastal engineering was an important sector which has seen the Government of Guyana and EU working together to solve issues. He added that sea defence has been a focus of the EU for decades.
In terms of Guyana’s sea defence, the Ambassador said that due to the lack of adequate maintenance of existing barriers along with the gradual destruction of mangrove forests, the protection of Guyana’s coastal zone was drastically reduced. This reduction, he said, has increased the need for rehabilitation while long-term sustainable measures became urgent.
He concluded by stressing that the manual will be a useful and easily accessible tool and he expressed hope that it will be used to build a strong strategy for Guyana.
The present manual aims to provide appropriate and practical guidance for applications of methods and techniques in regards to the design and implementation of coastal engineering projects in Guyana. These projects concern new constructions or repair and rehabilitation of existing ones; the prevention of the erosion of oceanic, estuarine, and recessed coasts; coastal flooding; and the heavy damage from wave attacks to valuable coastal commercial, urban, and tourist communities of Guyana.
The manual was put together by a team of four consultants, including a coastal engineering specialist; a geotechnical specialist; and an engineering specialist. These consultants would have spent time in Guyana interacting with a number of agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD); and Central Housing and Planning Authority.
So far, the manual is a 14 chapter document and is still being refined. Focus areas in the document included, integrated planning for sea and river defence works in Guyana; the physical site conditions and data collection issues; and natural flood protection systems along Guyana’s oceanic coast and river banks and their relevance to the shore zone management process.
Today’s workshop primarily saw the participation of MPI employees across the different agencies. The workshop will continue tomorrow, December 9, 2015, and will touch on a number of areas, including design of coastal flood protection structures; design of river flood protection structures; and the economics and feasibility of sea defence.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) wishes to inform the public that an agreement for the reduction of tolls is still being brokered with the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI).
In the month of November 2015, MPI sent its draft agreement to BBCI for review, in relation to toll reductions. Another copy of the proposed agreementwas sent to BBCI yesterday, November 30, 2015. The Ministry has been informed that this document is currently engaging the attention of BBCI’s lawyers.
Once MPI has received a favourable responsefrom BBCI, the GY$40M allocatedfor subventions will be available for immediate release. The toll will also be immediately implemented once the agreement has been signed by BBCI.
The Ministry had estimated that the toll reduction would be implemented by December 1, 2015. Nonetheless, MPI is optimistic that an agreement can be reached shortly with BBCI.
KINGSTON - Motor Vessel Lady Northcote today, December 2, 2015, set sail for Port Kaituma, Region One, months after it was docked for major repair works.
Loaded with people, cargo and vehicles, Lady Northcote departed from the Water Street Wharf, Kingston shortly after 11:00hrs. The wharf was a hive of activity; crew members of Lady Northcote milled around to ensure that everything was in working condition while passengers prepared themselves for the long journey.
In September, Lady Northcote was docked at the E.C. Vieira Dockyard in Houston, East Bank Demerara to undergo major rehabilitation. E.C. Vieira Investments Limited completed the job last week to the tune of $140M.
Amongst the extensive works done to Lady Northcote were the repair of its hull; servicing of all on-board machinery; improvement of interior and exterior decking and upgrades to the main and passenger decks. The facilities on-board were also improved through the upgrade of the galley while the vessel’s crew will be more comfortable thanks to improved beds and washroom facilities.
Additionally, the offloading and loading capabilities were improved while all of the vessel’s plates were changed. In terms of safety, the vessel now holds 100 life rafts. The underwater propellers were also completely rebuilt.
With this overhaul, it is expected that Lady Northcote will arrive at its destination in less than 24 hours, a considerable decline from its previous 36 hours travel time.
Lady Northcote was last week taken for a test sail along the Demerara River, which was deemed successful by the engineering team.
At 78-years-old, the vessel is the oldest in the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) fleet.
KINGSTON - Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson, yesterday, November 29, 2015, met with residents of Timehri North for discussions on the community and the planned Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion.
As part of the extension of CJIA’s runway, 19 homes in Timehri North will be relocated since they are in the direct path of the proposed site.
Minister Patterson yesterday held two meetings with residents of the community. In the first meeting, Minister Patterson met with those residents directly affected by the airport expansion while, in the second meeting, he met with the general Timehri North community.
During the first session, the residents of the 19 affected homes were able to speak directly with Minister Patterson and voice some of their concerns on the matter.
Minister Patterson explained that the mass movement of everyone out of the area would “not be necessary”. Instead, he said, the homes directly in the path of the expected runway will be relocated, within the same community.
While he noted that the expansion heralded development for Guyana, Minister Patterson stressed that this development should not severely upturn the lives of Guyanese. He added that persons who would have dedicated their lives to the Timehri North community should not have to suffer.
The affected residents will be relocated some 200 metres to the west of their current locations. Construction on the identified plot of land has already begun and is expected to be completed in 2016. The developed area will be equipped with roads and utilities such as electricity and water while the homes will become the properties of the residents.
“This is the right thing to do,” Minister Patterson said. “If you move someone from his home, you have to ensure that you give something back. In a few years, these will be prime properties. Right now, you might be in this situation and think yourself unlucky but in a few years that feeling will change,” he stressed to the residents.
In return, a number of residents expressed gratitude and shared that their nerves were calmed since there were threats by the previous administration that the entire community would be removed.
Meanwhile, the second session with the Timehri North residents was also well received. During the meeting, Minister Patterson interacted with the residents and shared plans underway for the community. Amongst these plans were the regularisation of the community; inclusion of standpipes for improved water access; and the rehabilitation of the main road. He said too that there will be improved infrastructure such as roads, water supply, and electricity.
However, Minister Patterson said that while the Ministry will be working towards bettering the community, the residents must also do the same. He reminded them that the ultimate aim is to see the community become registered and he therefore urged them to keep an eye out for squatters.
“I’m not saying that the community cannot grow but I’m saying it must not be a Wild West,” Minister Patterson stressed.
