Public servants demanding talks on wages

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…Union alerts President; says delay robbing workers from earning what they should

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has written to President Irfaan Ali and several other Ministers of Government requesting the start of outstanding negotiations of wages, salaries and allowances for 2020 and 2021 for public service workers.

In a statement on Wednesday, the GPSU said that the letter was delivered on March 11, 2021, to Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Public Service Ministry, Soyinka Grogan, in keeping with the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the GPSU and the Government of Guyana for the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes.

A copy of the correspondence was forwarded to President Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Minister with responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh and Minister of the Public Service, Sonia Parag. Apart from this, the Union also wrote the President on March 16, 2021, thanking him in advance for his involvement and support.

In accordance with Clause 6 of the aforementioned agreement, the Union said that the negotiations are overdue and expected.

“The Union had since the 1st September 2020 submitted proposals to the Government and in the only meeting held on the 4th November 2020 between Union representatives and the Government delegation led by the Minister of Public Service Ms. Parag the Union was informed by the Minister that she had no mandate to discuss the matter of wages, salaries and allowances with the GPSU,” the Union highlighted.

It added that it therefore submitted, on February 3, 2021, extensive proposals to be considered for inclusion in the 2021 Budget. However, the Union was not invited by the Minister of Finance to ventilate these proposals which it views as a departure of both pre and post elections commitment by the current administration for inclusiveness.

One of the Union’s concerns is that the minimum wage of a public servant currently is not a ‘living wage’. This concern comes even as GPSU had constructed a basket of expenditures of goods and services in 2008 which it believes is necessary to provide the average person with the basic needs of food, shelter, transportation and more. This guides the GPSU’s pursuit of a living wage as the base payment of a public service worker.

Other concerns include the de-bunching and the payment of increments, the retraining of staff to cope with the new norms, re-organising of offices to cater for social distancing, the provision to all staff members of personal protective equipment (PPE), no review of pensions paid to retirees, no risk allowance for frontline workers and no salary increases since 2019.

Addressing the latter, the GPSU stated: “It therefore must be noted that Public Service Workers have had no increase in earnings since January 2019 which is more than two years ago. They have gone through the entire 2020 faced with the challenges of the infectious coronavirus and increases in the cost of living..even though during this period there were increases in revenue in the government coffers.”

One of the Union’s proposals in the budget was for the reduction of the rate of taxes paid by individuals (PAYE). The GPSU said that it is difficult to comprehend why there was no reduction in taxes and why it is that company taxes are at a flat rate of 25 per cent which is lower than PAYE lowest level which is 28 per cent.

The GPSU also submitted in its budget proposals for 2021 that the tax threshold should be $120,000.

“The GPSU has called on the government to meet within the time stipulated in the agreement for a meeting upon request. The Union is hopeful, that unlike the difficult and disruptive experiences in the past, that on this occasion this exercise would be objective, rational and satisfactorily concluded. It must be noted that the Union has also sought the intervention of His Excellency, President Ali in a letter dated March 16th, 2021 and thanked him in advance for his involvement and support,” the GPSU stated.

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