5% increase of wages and salaries for

Public Servants…Only the ‘Fat Cats’ will

see big benefits – GPSU

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has disclosed that it views the “illegal” five percent imposition of salaries and wages for Public Sector Workers as insensitive, disrespectful and ruthless.
An official statement released by the Union blasted Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Roger for his utterances on the meager increase.
At the most recent post Cabinet briefing, Luncheon boasted about the impending 5% increase, saying that “it will come just in time to supplement the Christmas shopping”, while indicating that “he too was looking forward to receiving the retroactive increase.”
GPSU in responding to his utterances stated, “Certainly the ‘Fat Cats’, who are paid significantly more, would enjoy five percent of their millions to satisfy their Christmas fantasies, without having to touch or deplete savings towards that end. The rest of the labour force, whose percent realizes the bare minimum, finds this payout as a meager aid towards defraying some of the outstanding debt that had piled on their shoulders over more than a year of neglect by an uncaring employer. Christmas then is but a name to many, but truly enjoyed by a few.”
GPSU signaled its intention to begin engaging in a series of activities to heighten awareness about the plight of the Public Servants, as well as calling on all members to challenge this abuse of authority which can no longer be tolerated.
According to the statement, President Donald Ramotar at a meeting with the GPSU in January 2013, asked for a multi-year proposal for wages and salaries, while giving assurances that the annual impositions would cease.
Kaieteur News understands that GPSU submitted its multi-year proposals for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.  But, to date, after several reminders on the matter, the Office of the President has not furnished any official response.
GPSU now asks, “Is this an acceptable attitude for a self proclaimed working class Government? Is this the desired attitude that we as a nation would like to inculcate in future leaders? Is this representative of our nation’s professionalism?”
The Union, in the statement, noted that “the Appropriation Act reflected an allocation of G$29,130B to meet expenditure for Wages and Salaries and a further $4.404B for the Revision of Wages and Salaries…A basic Arithmetical calculation represents the provision for the revision of wages and salaries as 15.12 percent of the provision for wages and salaries.”
The release said that while it is noteworthy that Dr. Luncheon has acknowledged that this amount was passed in the 2103 National Budget in April, 2013, it is incongruous that a declaration of only five percent could be realistically made to Public Sector Workers.
“Could Dr. Luncheon say what does Government intend to do with the remaining 10 percent of the approved provision? The Opposition should also question Government’s departure from the Parliament approved intention of at least a 15.12 percent payout in 2013.” The GPSU stated.
It was disclosed that GPSU wrote the Public Service Ministry in March of this year requesting an interim payout of the allocated sum, until settlement through negotiations. But Kaieteur News learnt that there was no response to this request and to date Government has failed to meet for negotiations. The Ministry of Labour was invited to conciliate between the two parties, but to date this has not materialized. According to the GPSU the imposition at this time is callous and a display of contempt for Public Workers, both with the amount being proposed and the manner in which the hand out is being attempted.