The widely held view that all ministers of the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) received a 50 per cent pay increase is not true, said former minister and Member of Parliament (MP), Ms. Annette Ferguson.
“NOT all Coalition Ministers received the 50% salary increase. Ministers within the Ministry received under a 20% increase, while Senior Ministers and other Constitutional officers benefitted from an increase less than 50%.”
Noteworthy, said Ferguson in a public letter, after the salary adjustments for coalition ministers in 2015, subsequent increases in salaries NEVER SAW ministers benefitting.
“The flip side to this, is that the People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) regime, in both 2021 and 2022 respectively, have equally enjoyed across the board increases in their salaries. This, they will not tell nor want the general populace to know, since it suits their interests in keeping our people in ignorance.”
There was a seven per cent pay increase in 2021, and an eight per cent in 2021, which means in the two-year period President Irfaan Ali and ministers received a 15 per cent increase on the salary paid to the coalition’s ministers; the sum the PPP/C vowed to reverse if the party returned to government.
Whilst the coalition ministers’ income was kept constant, for the next four years after the initial increase, PPP ministers have seen two increases for their two years in office.
Ferguson said it is timely to remind Guyanese of the duplicitous nature of the PPP/C leadership.
Making reference to a Demerara Waves’ (October 20, 2015) article, the MP pointed out the PPP/C General Secretary and then Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, vowed to reverse the hefty salary increases to ministers if his People’s Progressive Party (PPP) won the next Elections (2020)
Jagdeo further said, “when we win the elections, we may very well do that…If we are opposed to it now, we will reverse it.”
“Well, Guyanese can see for themselves that the PPP/C regime lied to them during their pre-election campaign and has increased the salaries of their ministers instead of reversing the increase the coalition implemented. Meanwhile, their campaign promises of increased salaries for public servants, teachers, joint services, and others were not kept. “
The Opposition PPP/C had called on the coalition government to increase public sector workers pay by 50 per cent. This government’s failure to keep its pre-2020 promise Ferguson said is reflective of the party leadership’s continuous disrespect and ill-treatment of the working class. “This must STOP NOW!”
During the coalition’s term in office, public sector workers over the four-year period received a 77 per cent increase in wages/salary. Refer below.
