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The Guyana Public Service Union is peeved the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government has not only imposed an eight per cent (8 %) across-the-board salary increase for public sector workers but is engaging in coercive action to force workers to express satisfaction with the sum.
According to the Union, in a release, even as there is objection to the highhanded and unlawful imposition of an 8% word was received of Government’s intimidatory intervention with public servants to garner their support for that lawless act.
“Government is in self-denial and has therefore strung-out its Ministers of Government, together with camera wielding members of the Department of Public Information (DPI) to garner support for its insensitive act.” This act, the GPSU said, they find distasteful and strenuously object to this kind of intrusive behavior, which because of fear, would realise Government’s Hitlerian intentions, in which it appears gifted.
Public servants are asked to stay focused and not succumb to Government’s ploy, which is designed to further disenfranchise and deny them of a living wage in this harsh economic climate, the union advised.
“Public Servants ‘DO NOT SUCCUMB TO POLITICAL INTIMIDATION’ of any kind, be candid and frank. Article 38G of the Constitution of Guyana guarantees redress from situations like these.”
The two-year Irfaan Ali administration has refused to engage the GPSU in collective bargaining. The union has approached the court to direct the government to respect the constitutional right to collective bargaining. The court is yet to rule on the matter.
Further, the union signalled it is not taking the present situation sitting down. The organisation said it is currently taking affirmative action to inform the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Heads of Overseas Missions and affiliated Unions, at home and abroad, of this new intrusive development.
