Mega-salary increases

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has said that a nation’s human resources must be at the centre of development and has renewed its calls for workers to be paid a “living wage.”

The call come in light of Government’s decision to hike the salaries of Ministers, at a time when the economy has seen a 2.5 per cent decline and public servants continue to struggle to meet day-to-day needs.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the GTUC also called for a prudent approach in handling the public outcry on the salary increases for Ministers.

“The citizens’ response to the increase of remuneration for ministers and parliamentarians calls for commitment from the government that would result in decision that society can accept and respect,” the GTUC said.

The umbrella Trade Union added that the continuous, sustained and heightened voices, inclusive of that from varied and unexpected sources, are enough to warrant the government’s judicious attention with respect to the salary increases. The Government, the Union added, has a responsibility to look out for the interest of the state and its people and this “seems not to be the case in this regard.”

According to the Union, politicians in power need to understand that the authority they use are vested in them by the citizens.

“Ultimately politicians are accountable to the citizens and must never lose sight of this principle. As this salary outcry is increasing and being sustained beyond the proverbial ‘nine days’ it requires good sense prevailing on the part of the government,” the Union added.

GTUC’s position is that: “If you start wrong, you will end wrong. The product from the application of a wrong process will be questionable and this in part is driving the outcries today.”

According to GTUC the Nation must therefore see the reinstatement of collective bargaining and respect for fundamental rights and freedom as a matter of priority:

“Collective bargaining must commence in the Public Sector, which will ensure the resetting of relativity in the Wage and Salary Structure, from which ministers, Parliamentarians and other public servants will earn wages/salary and conditions of employment as a result of the process. Comprehensive collective bargaining will impact on income in all sectors (public, private and cooperative) of the economy, address pensions and other remunerations, since it will be done within the developmental policies of the nation.”

On Friday last, President David Granger defended the move by Cabinet saying he endorses the salary hikes. He said the decision to hike salaries was not arrived at easily and citizens should see it as an investment in what he referred to as “good governance”.

Last Thursday, several  NGOs, activists and persons associated with the Administration took to the streets to express dissatisfaction over the decision to increase the Ministers’ salaries by a whopping 50 per cent, while public servants were handed a measly five per cent increase. The protesters said they will picket Parliament Buildings during sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday.

During a recent interview with Guyana Times, President of the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI), Calvin Bernard, condemned the move by Government, saying it was too soon for a raise and more so such a “very excessive” one. Political commentator Ramon Gaskin is also of the view that the increase is too excessive when compared with the meagre five per cent hike given to Public Servants.

Gaskin pointed out that in addition to a salary, Ministers also get a host of other benefits that would rack up to over a million dollars per month each.

In addition to these persons, organisations such as the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), and Red Thread have also spoken against the massive pay hike.

When Guyana Times broke the story two months ago, the Government denied having intentions of implementing significant increases in the salaries of Executive Members and instead said that it was only being “considered”.

On September 25, following the Minister’s budgetary presentation in the National Assembly, the Government gazetted the increases without being forthcoming with the public that it had indeed worked out the scale, quantum and criteria for the increases which many believed were not going to be pursued within the new Government’s first months in office.

In the Official Gazette of September 25, it is stated that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo will be benefiting from over $20 million per annum, while the other Vice Presidents will each receive $11,135,064.

Under the APNU/AFC Government, a Cabinet Minister will be given a hefty sum of $10,439,124 annually – more than $300,000 over previous Ministers and a Junior Minister within a Ministry will be paid $8,346,492 per annum.

In addition to the increased salary for Prime Minister Nagamootoo of $1.7 million monthly, an increase of over $200,000 each month, he will be drawing vacation benefits and perks totalling more than $500,000.