THE Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) said it is disgusted over the “virtually insulting salary-increase “final” offer proffered to public servants by government. In a statement, the breakaway umbrella trade union body said that betraying its rosy manifesto offer of “substantial increases,” the government’s miserly offer to its own employees is being made even as “the good life for all” seems to be now limited to those ministers who benefited from the steep remuneration increases not too long after their swearing-in. “Such increases are now salt in the wounds of the nation’s government employees.”

Notably, for close to two decades the People’s Progressive Party/Civic had ignored collective bargaining and imposed salary increases on public servants of not more than 5%, but FITUG never issued a statement condemning this action or spoke out against it.

In its missive, the PPP-aligned union body said that “delaying tactics were numerous before this “offer” described by several citizens as “obscene”, “insulting” and such like. According to FITUG, public servants, initially, were made to await the Report of the Public Service Commission of Inquiry for instance. After the delay, came the blow. “The mean 10 per cent to 1 per cent offer is not being embraced by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) which describes it as falling woefully short of its just demands. FITUG notes the responses of the GPSU (and indeed the nation’s Teachers Union) and offers its whole-hearted solidarity on this matter,” the union said.

“FITUG, therefore, embraces the GPSU’s contention that no full-time worker, whether public or private sector, should be forced to go hungry without reasonable shelter, basic clothing, adequate leisure, and wages which doom a worker to poverty. Poverty robs the worker and his or her family of their self-esteem, their dignity and a decent life. FITUG is mindful of the struggles for a living wage carried out for years and which has helped to protect the workers at the lowest level of the socio-economic structure. Our situation calls not for a nominal wage, but a ‘real wage’ which can adequately cover the mounting cost of living.”

Meanwhile, FITUG said it welcomes the recent announcement by the Government that bauxite workers’ overtime pay would be tax-free. “In expressing our pleasure over this development and benefit to the identified workers, we also urge that similar consideration be given to workers in the private and public sectors as well. The workers of Guyana, in sugar and in other economic entities, have more financial burdens piled upon their shoulders. The coalition Government has a duty to implement a wage policy that would effectively address this reality in the interest of all our members.”

President David Granger said on Thursday that his administration will proceed with the package, even as he committed to continued engagement with the union for the rest of the year. Speaking on his weekly programme, The Public Interest, President Granger said the 10% is as much as the government can do as of September 1, 2016. He said the administration was in the process of preparing its budget for an early reading in December and as such, they need to wrap up this aspect of their expenditures. President Granger said too that the final wages and salaries increase offer should not be viewed as unjust, but as what the government can afford at this time. Asked by a reporter how he will respond to reactions by some that the wage offer is unjust, Granger said: “It is not unjust; it is what is affordable at present.” President Granger justified the government’s final offer of 10 per cent for the lowest level of public servants and one per cent for the highest paid by stating that his administration did not anticipate the “volume of indebtedness” that exists. “I am not saying that the public servants do not deserve more, but we did everything that is possible …we entered into negotiations in good faith…we haven’t discontinued negotiations, but that is the final offer we put on the table, because we have to prepare next year’s budget and we have to tidy up this business before the next quarter,” he added.

President Granger made it clear that talks have not been discontinued, but its offer to pay a 10 per cent increase to persons earning $99,000 or less, six per cent to persons who earn between $100,000 and $299,000, five per cent to public servants earning between $300,000 and $799,000, two per cent for those earning between $800,000 and $999,000 and one per cent for those earning above $1M still stands. “We want to continue to speak with the union for the rest of this, so that we have an outcome in 2017 that is satisfactory to both sides,” the President declared.