Guyana’s public servants, including Disciplined Services members, teachers and government pensioners will receive a 6.5 percent salary increase retroactive to January 2023 in their December 2023 pay packet. This announcement was made Friday by Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh. Also announced is a one-month tax-free bonus for members of the Disciplined Services with civilian members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to receive this bonus for the first time.
Government said the across-the-board increase will benefit over 54,000 Public Servants, Members of the Disciplined Services, teachers and Government pensioners, placing an additional $7.5 billion in disposable income annually in their hands. The bonuses for the Disciplined Services will benefit 12,000 members and place an additional $1.5 billion annually of disposable income in their hands.
The Minister said work will commence immediately by Government to ensure that the salary increase and bonus announced are paid out on the designated pay day in December.
Government says it is important to highlight that this year’s salary increase brings the cumulative total of across-the-board increases to public servants to approximately 23 percent over the last three years.
Meanwhile, the Opposition, a Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), in a statement, drew attention to the fact that without oil revenues, and in four years, the APNU+AFC coalition government gave public servants a 77% pay increase! This reflects the highest increase in minimum wage in Guyana’s history.
