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Govt. continues to use contract employees

Feb 11, 2010 News

…are paid bulk of wages and salaries

The opposition parties have long chided the administration for its use of contracted employees at the various Ministries the Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister among other entities.
This year there has been no change as again there are numerous contracted employees on the payroll of these entities and as has been the case in the past receives the majority of the total wages and salaries allocated.
In the case of the Office of the President there are some 67 employees slated for payment this year of which 25 will be paid some $25.5M out of the $56.2M allocated for that section.
The remaining 42 staff members include three temporary, 17 semi- and unskilled operatives, nine clerical and office support as well as six technical and craft skilled.
Under Presidential Advisory (Cabinet and other services) there is a total of 138 employees of which 81 contracted employees will be receiving some $220M with the remaining 57 staffers to be paid some $24.8M.
The Prime Minister’s Secretariat employs some 20 employees 13 of which are contracted and will be paid some $16M out of the total allocation of $20.2M.
The situation is no different at the Finance Ministry Administration where 49 of the 115 staffers are contracted and will be paid $92.7M out of the allocation of $133.9M
The Government Accounting Administration at the Finance Ministry employs some 104 persons, 30 of which are contracted and will be paid $46.7M out of the $103M allocation for the payment of wages and salaries.
This trend continues throughout each of the government entities and the opposition parties have long argued that the employees should be those employed as public servants and not by any special contract.
When asked for a comment on the situation as it relates to the trend Acting General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress Reform, Norris Witter, said that the ploy was a way to reward the party supporters.
According to Witter if one were to examine the salaries of the contracted employees they and three to four times that off those in the public service.
“It (contracts) provide an opportunity for them to reward their supporters.”
Witter also posited that it is also a ploy used to undermine the Unions representing Public Service workers at the various Ministries.
In support of this argument Witter said that if an individual were to examine the trend over the years contracted employees are on the increase, “and when this happens public service employees decline.”
This, he said, presents a situation where in if those employees were to be facing an injustice and the unions should seek to take action the numbers would be very few and as such rendering the unions ineffective.

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