University of Guyana workers will not be paid on time this month, a situation that is expected to trigger strike action at a time when students are entering their second week of final examinations.

A May 16 circular from Personnel Offer, Jeffery Walcott to all staff members states that “due to unforeseen circumstances salaries will not be available” on Thursday. Salaries are usually paid on the third Thursday of each month.

Walcott could not give a specific date when salaries would be paid, only saying that “it is expected that salaries would be paid some time next week.”

UG spokeswoman, Paulette Paul confirmed that the tertiary institution has no cash to pay the more than 500 academic and non-academic staff on time.

Vice Chairman of the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA), Dr. Melissa Ifill said her executive and that of Workers Union (UGWU) would be meeting in the coming hours to hammer out a response.

Ifill hinted that workers would likely embark on industrial action. “We will be guided by the actions of the security service when it did not get its money,” she said in reference to a threat that Neal and Massy Security had made when UG had failed to pay a nearly GUY$50 million debt.

Government almost immediately provided the cash-bail out to avert a security crisis on the Turkeyen Campus.

Ifill conceded that industrial unrest would affect the thousands of students who are now entering the second week of final examinations. “If a decision is taken to withdraw services until salaries are paid, it will have a huge impact on students,’ she said.

Part time lecturers, who are not included among the 500 workers, are among the hardest hit by UG’s financial woes. They have not been paid for at least three months and have not been reimbursed travelling expenses to and from the Tain, Berbice Campus.

UG also owes millions of dollars to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).