Busmen are up in arms with the Keith Mitchell-led government over the slow pace at which they are being paid for transporting nurses and other healthcare workers to their jobs during the ongoing lockdown of the country.
A busman who spoke to THE NEW TODAY said that payments are very late in coming and that some bus operators have not been paid for the past two months.
According to the busman, he is still owed one month’s pay and that the little received this week cannot do anything much for him in paying his own bills.
He accused the ruling New National Party (NNP) administration of reneging on an agreement reached with some busmen to pay them a certain sum of money to transport the workers from the country areas into the city to take up work.
He spoke of some busmen being upset with the government payment of EC$3000.00 a month while they have to make in some cases about three trips a day from St Patrick to St. George’s transporting the workers.
“Ah mean that is nothing at all when you check it out. Some busmen are refusing to work anymore for government for that little bit of money”, he remarked.
In addition, the bus operator told this newspaper that they are now forced to go into long lines at the Treasury on the Carenage to collect the money from government.
“If you see the long line this morning (Wednesday) outside the Treasury and you have to go in that line in the hot sun. I need the money but am not doing that to get it,” he said.
This newspaper understands that some bus operators are owed as much as EC$5000.00 by government for transporting workers.
Grenada has been without a proper functioning bus service since the close down of business activities on the island over two months now to combat the coronavirus pandemic.