What about a holiday pay out for all public servants?

Dec 27, 2008 Letters

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Dear Editor,
A few weeks ago I read in the print media that members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will be getting a year end holiday bonus for 2008.
While I am happy that the government has decided to provide some additional relief for our military families, I am wondering what was the government’s rationale for not extending the same kind of relief to other public servants.
Why weren’t teachers, nurses and those hard working employees within the ministries, etc, not given a bonus to help their families through this economically daunting holiday period? Is it the view of the President and the government that the other public servants did not perform well or that these employees face no economic challenges?
Maybe if the government share with the nation it’s rationale for the military pay out, Guyanese will have an idea as to why other public servants are not considered for a similar pay out and they will be able to, also, determine whether the government’s action is justified in the current situation.
This will also reduce the sneaking suspicion many have about the pay out. Yes, the growing suspicion that the soldiers were considered for this pay out because of some underlying sinister ulterior motive on the part of the administration is likely to dissipate. It would, therefore, be prudent for the government to clearly explain to other public servants why they are left out of the year end bonus.
Simple respectable acts of transparency and disclosures like these are likely to foster good citizen/government relationship, but to leave such important issues open to all kinds of interpretation and guesses will only widen the rift between the citizenry and the government.
On the issue of the teachers and nurses, it is no secret that these two categories of professionals have been exiting the shores of the nation as soon as opportunities arise. I believe that it would be a prudent thing to provide some kind of incentive to attract these professionals to stay and contribute to the development of the nation.
Providing them a bonus package, at this time, would have been a welcome initiative. Only last August (2008), I walked into what can be described as an unplanned teachers reunion at the Timehri Airport.
On that interesting day I met almost 21 teachers who were either returning to their teaching post in various parts of the Caribbean or leaving for the first time to take up new teaching positions in countries including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Antigua, and St. Lucia. These teachers, many of whom I worked with, or attended Teachers’ Training College or university with, were either Head teachers, Deputy Head teachers, Senior Masters/Mistresses, Heads of Departments, or Assistant Mistresses, most of whom have more than 10 years experience in the profession.
If the government continues to ignore the negative impact the exodus of teachers from the Guyana education system continues to have on the nation, teachers will continue to leave Guyana at the first opportunity, a reality that many of them are not proud of, but for the need to experience a reasonable standard of living and to provide for their families.
For too long the government has shown scant regard for the concerns of our hard working teachers and this I believe is partly responsible for the growing enthusiasm on the part of these professionals to leave at the first opportunity.
Teachers, today, still talk of the remark made by then Minister of Education Henry Jeffrey who when asked about the exodus of teachers out of the local education system remarked that, we will train more when they go. This is a comment which has never been retracted; in fact, almost a month ago a similar ill advised comment was made by the current Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh. From these comments it is clear that the government does not recognise the connection between an education system depleted of skilled personnel and negative social behaviour on the part of our youth, coupled with poor academic achievement.
I am aware that many teachers, nurses and other public servants are concerned over the fact that no bonus pay have been announced for them. I, therefore, call on the goodly Minister of Public Service, the Hon. Dr. Jennifer Westford, to seek Cabinet’s approval to have other hard working members of the public sectors receive a bonus package, like their military counterparts, at the end of the year. I know these workers will appreciate this package during these tough economic times.
While teachers are boarding planes everyday, nurses are having interviews for overseas job placement almost every day, whether online or at local venues. My talk with many of these professionals revealed that many of them prefer to remain, but for the economic hardship they face continually, as their salary continues to keep them largely in an impoverished state. The last time the President spoke on minimum wage he boasted that the minimum wage would have increased a number of times since the PPP/C took office.
However, while that may be so, the President failed to mention that the cost of living has skyrocketed 10 times since 1992, and the job market has been saturated for the longest while, causing additional economic hardship on ordinary Guyanese families, whose grown children remain unemployed and frustrated. Many of these ordinary Guyanese make up the majority of the public service ministry.
I know Dr. Westford and I may embrace different political ideologies and share different political views, but I believe that we have a common interest to do what is humane and right for those hard working public servants, who continue to commit everyday to the development of the state. So let’s collectively work towards acknowledging their every day sacrifice and struggles. Too often we are quick to ridicule and chastise them, but are too slow to react positively to aid their many challenges. These workers have children who depend on them for a livelihood. We know that many of them work just to pay a rent and rely on whatever remittances they get from abroad. But with the U.S economy, the prime source from which remittances reach Guyana, in the economic downturn, it is calculated that remittances will either be drastically reduced or not reach many relatives. In fact, I read a few weeks ago that remittances reaching Guyana have reduced greatly, due to the global economic crisis.
I wish us all a God-filled holiday season, and wish to thank all public servants for their continued commitment to the development of a country that we all love. I respect you and trust that 2009 will be a better year for all of us.
Lurlene Nestor

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