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Security firm paying less than the minimum wage

I refer to Mr Mohamed Akeel’s letter in the Stabroek News of September 20, 2013 ‘It seems as if total confusion surrounds the National Minimum Wage Order’ which suggests that the matter may not be entirely and satisfactorily resolved. I do not wish to add to that debate and have raised through the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and other channels questions concerning what I consider a highly commendable piece of legislation. I believe that the government should take those concerns into account and forestall any action that could, in any way, affect the operationalization of the Order.
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Berbice Bridge Company Inc. – 2011 profit increase

Introduction
Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) was incorporated on April 1, 2005 under the Companies Act 1991. On January 31, 2006 then President Jagdeo assented to the Berbice River Bridge Act making provision for a privately financed Berbice River Bridge and conferring regulatory authority over the company to the Minister of Public Works. In the exercise of that power, the government signed a Concession Agreement with BBCI for the construction and operation of the Bridge. And by Order No. 42 of 2008 the Government granted to BBCI, among other things, a twenty-one year concession beginning on June 12, 2006 and expiring on June 11, 2027.

It is of course interesting that while the Act was passed in 2006 the company was incorporated on April 1, 2005. The process was then led by Bharrat Jagdeo and Winston Brassington who, like true salesmen, made all kinds of public and generous commitments. And like true politicians changed their stories about costs, revenues and investors in response to demands for more and better information.

The Concession Agreement referred to above contains what I call the “Brassington clause”. This clause binds all persons engaged in the design, construction, development and operation and maintenance of the Bridge to deal with all information in the Concession Agreement as secret and confidential. You would not think for a moment that this was about a monopoly operator granted exclusive control of a principal part of possibly the country’s second most important waterway and which by law is designated a Toll Bridge.
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As a statutory body the GEA must file annual reports

I write in response to the letter by the Honourable Prime Minister (‘The Guyana Energy Agency is being reasonably well run published in SN of September 14, 2013’), which he said was written out of “a need and a duty to set the record straight, [and] dispel any erroneous concerns and doubts” created about the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA). Continue reading “As a statutory body the GEA must file annual reports”