Opposition rubbishes Govt’s claim financial sustainability reason for paying public servants low wages/salaries

The A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has rubbished the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government’s claim it could only afford to increase public the already small servant wages/salary by 6.5 percent. The Opposition sees this imposition as a slap in the faces of public servants and defense by government and allies that it is financially sustainable is a “bogeyman” for keeping wages low. Stripping away at the falsity the Opposition notes the following: –

“FIRST, the Public Service is a net contributor to the economy. It performs a myriad of functions without which the country stands to lose far more than the public service wage bill. From healthcare, education, law and order, national defense, tax administration and collection, provision of water and electricity, design and supervision of infrastructure projects, to natural resources management (to name a few), the public service contributes to the society and economy far in excess of its maintenance cost. It is therefore not a burden on the national treasury as some falsely and deceptively argue.  The Public Service, additionally, can contribute substantially more through reforms to improve efficiencies and performance. More robust auditing of Exxon, for example, can prevent leakage of vital government revenues. All said, the public service can pay for itself and much more.

“SECONDLY, the Government currently has the FISCAL SPACE to pay Public Servants much more. The 2023 National Budget now stands at over G$ 900B. Oil revenues will grow with our third FPSO in operation. Our per capita income is already one of the highest in the world. How that money is allocated depends on how a government sees its priorities. For the PPP, the emphasis is on infrastructure spending to benefit its cronies.  For the next Coalition government, our budgeting will put people first and at the centre of national development. We see this not only as a moral obligation but as an economic investment in our human resources. Our budgets therefore will reflect this philosophy.

“THIRDLY, the PPP government fails to grasp those public servants as individuals are also consumers, investors, savers, and producers. As such, they contribute to the economy over and above their role as providers of public service. The next Coalition government will view public servants in this larger economic frame.

“FOURTHLY, the PPP will never understand that public servants are also parents, main breadwinners, and family members. Along with other citizens, they are also owners of Guyana’s natural endowment and have rights to a decent quality of life. As such, they too must benefit from our vast oil wealth. They must not be treated as second-class citizens.”

Drawing attention to the fact that financial sustainability is far more complex than the PPP has made it, the APNU+AFC further notes that it “depends on how a government sets its national priorities, how a government recognizes the net contribution of the public service to the economy, how a government can increase this contribution by comprehensive public service reform, and how a government appreciates that its workers are more than mere employees.”

The APNU+AFC sees the PPP Government keeping public sector workers’ wages low, in the world’s fastest growing economy, as “bad mindedness.”