The Public Service Ministry has announced a five percent across the board wages and salaries increase retroactive to January 1, 2012 for public servants.

Below is the ministry’s release issued on Thursday. 

The Government of Guyana has approved a five percent (5%) across the board increase in salaries and wages retroactive to January 1, 2012 for all Public Servants employed in Ministries, Departments not under Ministerial Control, Regional Administrations and those who are engaged on contracts against positions reflected on the inventory of the Traditional Public Service and also those who are contracted against positions that are not on the Inventory of the Traditional Public Service.

This action has been taken by the Government to avoid the disappointment of workers who have expectations of a salary increase payout, before Christmas.

The Government wishes to reiterate its commitment to ensuring that workers receive a living wage, and will continue its participation in the ongoing negotiations between the workers’ representatives and the Government with the intention of ultimately arriving at a Multi Year Wages and Salary Agreement. 

Excerpts from demwaves

The Guyanese Populace are well pleased with the 5% increase

THIS FELLA MOSES GOT THEM SPINNING.  HERE HE CHARGE TO PUBLIC SERVANTS TO DEMAND 10%.

PATRICK YARDE WAKE UP.

Workers must demand 10% wage increase

Statement by Moses V. Nagamootoo
AFC‘s Vice-Chairman/Parliamentarian

It was with utter disappointment that I learned that GAWU has surrendered on the fight for a living wage in the sugar belt by accepting a 5% pay rise in the absence of no production bonus.

Moses Nagamootoo

Sugar workers should note that mine workers in South Africa have just won pay rises between 1% and 22% plus bonuses.
The cost-of-living and Inflation have gone up by almost 5% this year, so that the increase is zero. Rather than feeling the groans in the bellies of sugar workers, the union backed down from its 10% bluff, and bowed to what it described as realities facing GuySuCo.
What realities? Is the union referring to the reality that GuySuCo has not reduced the cost of producing sugar from 17 cents to an average of 9 cents a pound through sheer mismanagement, incompetence and poor investment? Is the union talking about the “reality” that average cost of production went up to 19 cents a pound in spite of some $47 billion being pumped into the new Skeldon sugar factory?
The reality is that for a $47 billion investment, production of both sugar and energy is way below projected target. The union needs to look at the reality of no returns for the nation’s money and sugar workers’ sweat.
The AFC offers the union solidarity in the struggle for fair play and fair pay. Workers, particularly those in Berbice, not only deserve a living wage, they are entitled to reliable electricity, functioning recreational centres and protection from deadly criminal attacks.
Over so many years, I have remained steadfast in support of both union and workers. That was why, at the risk of expulsion, I condemned the threat in 2010 from Jagdeo’s cronies to de-recognise GAWU and I demanded a decent pay rise when I urged that we “light a candle for sugar workers”.
We cannot accept as the “reality” that the Chairman of GuySuCo’s Board has to be shuttled here periodically from New York at great costs, whilst a factory worker would not take home $50,000 a month. We cannot accept the reality that so many ‘fat cats’ are given million-dollar monthly bonanzas and presidents, who no longer work for the people, could have pension and other entitlement of $3 million a month. This, in fact, is a nightmare that ought to disturb the union!
No union should subscribe to the regime’s narrative of bread for the elite and bones for sugar workers!
The AFC has been calling and continues to call for a substantial pay rise for all workers to enhance their chance of improving their living standards. There would be enough money for this and increase in pensions as well, when the regime places the billions in dead bank accounts into the Consolidated Fund, and ensures that entities such as NICIL do not fritter away the people’s resources in luxury projects to benefit their cronies.

We are disappointed over the 5% pittance for sugar workers. This is a sellout to those who continue to bankrupt the industry and who have unconscionably squandered $47 Billion on “modernization” of a sugar factory, when they have no viable plans for the future of sugar workers.
We in the AFC will continue to demand a 10 percent across-the-board pay rise before Christmas.

THE power-thirsty opposition must explain to Guyanese why it is misusing its one-seat majority to create gridlock and stalemate in Parliament. Vice-Chairman of the Alliance For Change, Moses Nagamootoo, is being faithful to his role to distort and misrepresent the truth as he tries to exonerate the AFC of blame and responsibility for the despicable situation obtaining in Parliament. What is taking place there is part of a carefully orchestrated plan between APNU and the AFC to stymie and destabilise the work of the government. The opposition has convinced itself that it is capable of distracting the government from pursuing its developmental plans and objectives without taking into consideration that any such distraction, if successful, would be to the disadvantage of Guyanese.

The opposition-led unrest in Linden and Agricola are no mistaken plans as these events conform to the opposition agenda to slow down the pace of development. By the very acts of those who instigated and staged the unrest, the government now has to spend time and energy on rebuilding infrastructure that existed before.
The only reason gridlock and stalemate exist in Parliament today is because of the combined opposition, APNU and the AFC. Nagamootoo and his colleague architects of this confrontational, non-progressive type politics are aware that their actions have the potential to stymie and slow down national development, but instead they opted for the negative path.

Again, Nagamoottoo is true to form in his claims that the AFC was successful in exposing corruption within the government,  when the records will show that the opposition has not been able to successfully point to one case, with supporting evidence of corruption. In their corruption campaign, quite the opposite was revealed as people were coming forward with evidence of AFC leaders’ involvement in practices of corruption and conflicts of interest. There are many cases involving allegations of Nagamootoo himself double-charging for the relocation of residents for the construction of the Berbice River Bridge.  

The corruption campaign by the opposition was used as a platform for their grandstanding as they were unable to come forth with anything solid. The NCN Debate Series on Corruption provided them with an opportunity to prove their case to the nation but instead being unable to do so, they turned their argument into right and wrong approaches. This is the dishonesty Nagamottoo and others in the AFC continue to support, they blah! Blah! Blah! all the time.
As we speak, the opposition is busy meeting trying to engineer its next confrontation with the government, while the government is busy pursuing its development objectives, fulfilling its manifesto promises and moving  the economy along. The PPP/C Administration will not be distracted by the relentless negativity of the opposition.