The two-month-old Irfaan Ali government seems bent on pursuing the politics of victimization, recrimination and discrimination. Who have not yet been fired, transferred or superseded having been employed, confirmed or promoted under the previous administration have all reason to believe it is only a matter of time for them.
Also, whereas the government makes charges that the past administration was corrupt, as it ignores its previous record, and complains that it inherited an empty Treasury they have failed to apply austerity measures to themselves. This nation remembers only too well the thunderous condemnation by the Opposition PPP/C to the Coalition Government when they raised their salaries by 50 percent. The raise in pay to Parliamentarians were too condemned and we were told that the increase would have been given to charity.
Now in the seat of government, citizens are yet to hear that Ali and his team have taken a salary reduction, having condemned the coalition’ raise and based on their report of inheriting an empty Treasury. Society expects them to share in the burden of the small man who is either unemployed or employed and is being paid marginal wage. Given the loud complaint about excesses by the previous government it would have been expected they empathise with and/ or share the burdens of the small man.
Instead, the nation hears public servants will not receive retroactive payment effective January 1st, 2020. These ordinary public servants, the majority of whom are receiving less than G$100,000.00 per month, i.e. less than US$500.00 when everything in Guyana is pegged to the US dollar, are catching hell. These workers work five-day per week, pay public transportation for themselves and family, they pay rent/mortgage, buy food and pay utility bills. Theirs is a life of constant struggle, trying to make ends meet unlike the ministers who will enjoy the benefit of tax-funded transportation, attractive salaries and allowances.
The refusal by the government to acknowledge the public servants’ Wages Contract came to an end on 31st December 2019 and they cannot arbitrarily decide wages increases will not be paid from January 1st comes as no surprise. In the haste to set themselves and friends they disregard that it has become custom and practice, in this society, for public workers to plan for their retroactive payment to meet expenses and expectations of their families. This deliberate heartless decision sends a message that the socioeconomic wellbeing of the affected workers, and communities are not deserving of equal importance to the sugar workers’ who the government said it has no apology for paying attention to.
The socioeconomic wellbeing of all workers and their communities are of equal import. The laws of the country guarantee every individual who wants to earn an honest living to do so either through the establishment of a business or being in employment. There were many, during the previous administration, who sought employment and were employed. They have since been dismissed by this present administration for being employed under the previous. This is reminiscence of what transpired in 1992 when the PPP/C came to office. The message is clear. It is a message that says, if you were employed under any administration other than the PPP/C the basic right to work in this country is not yours. It also communicates that the property of the State belongs to the PPP/C and its cohorts not every Guyanese.
As a trade unionist who values the right to work, who advocates for decent wages/salary and full employment there is no begrudging those who have been given employment under this administration and are being paid a decent wage. The point of concern for me is that this is a practice that discriminates because it violates the right of some to work and their protection from discrimination based on race, political association, etc.
Many have been placed on the breadline not due to incompetence and inability to perform in other jobs; they have not only been replaced with the government’s choice but the government has also sought to expand the public sector and create opportunities for new jobs, as the terminated are left out in the cold. This politics of recrimination also saw persons’ salaries made public to give the impression they were earning above their skills and the global competitive nature of the job.
Some have made the sacrifice to return and serve for lesser pay that they would have received in the developed societies as others were paid less than their predecessor under the PPP/C government even though more qualified. The pre-occupation and vengeful nature guiding the desire to settle scores, to chase them down, as those some are not entitled to work will do society more harm than good. This is 1992 all over again. This nation was forewarned, threatened by some leaders in the PPP, immediately prior to and after election, that a government formed by them will dismiss and lock up persons holding public office.
