Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore has warned that a major shake up may be heading the Council’s way, which is likely to see staff members being reassigned at the level of the City Administration. 

Mentore made the disclosure during an extraordinary meeting of the Council on Wednesday. He explained that the matter is already engaging the attention of the Human Resource Department. 

“We will look at seeing how we will be able to treat with matters generally with our staffing and how many staffing we have, and how we can reallocate to different areas, and what we need to employ and what we don’t need to employ,” the City Mayor said. 

This past week, the Council approved a 6.5% salary increase for city workers, in addition to a $25,000 bonus for the holiday season.

The City Mayor said going forward, the Council will be prepared to sit down at the negotiating table with the unions representing the workers, the Guyana Labour Union and the Guyana Local Government Officers Union. He noted however, that there must be a change of the work culture at the Council.

“We are not going to be playing with people. We are paying you handsomely, and we expect handsome work. I see the council and I know the councillors, who ask certain questions and they have pointed questions that they ask, I myself asked these pointed questions many years ago when I came here but we didn’t get around to those issues because I came and I met certain systems, and I worked with those systems and I treated with them but we will be making serious decisions as it relates to how we treat with staff and the expectation and the performances of those persons,” the Mayor said. 

He stressed that staff members must deliver going forward. 

On the sideline of that meeting, the City Mayor declined to indicate whether persons would be sent home. He said an analysis of the City’s workforce must be done before any decision is taken, adding that all decisions must receive the approval of the Council.

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council has just over 500 workers currently.

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