MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Placard-bearing municipal workers including janitors, street sweepers, parking attendants and market staff staged a protest in front the Mandeville Market on Friday over the delay in them receiving their wage increase.

Linton Edwards said he and his colleagues are disgruntled after waiting since September for the increase.

“September come we nuh get nuh money. October come we nuh get nuh money. November come nuh get nuh money. December come straight to the 20th we nuh get nuh money. We tired of it now. No work, no money,” he said.

“It is a disgrace to the whole Manchester for poor people to work so hard to get a little dollar, so that they can get things for their children and grandchildren for the Christmas and there is nothing for us. I am sick and tired of it. We need we money!” he added.

He said he has been working in the market for over two decades.

“I work in the market for 22 years. Every mess, everything I have to counteract with it,” he said.

However, Chief Executive Officer at the Manchester Municipal Corporation Andrew Harrison said the corporation is awaiting the disbursement of the funds to pay the workers.

“The Government and the union would have already signed an agreement with regards the contract and some temporary workers with regard to regularising them,” he said.

“We wrote through our Ministry of Local Government to the Ministry of Finance, because of [Permanent Secretary] made representation for all the municipal corporations not just Manchester requesting the funding. The funding has not yet been provided and that is what we are waiting to implement,” he added.

— Kasey Williams