Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
GPSU seeks permission for daily protest marches until year end
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is seeking to host mass protest marches across the city until year end. The union has requested permission from the Guyana Police Force to host the marches from December 20 to 31 in refusal of the five percent pay increase imposed on public sector workers.
The union and its members have been holding public demonstrations for the past two weeks, placing pressure on crucial public sector entities.
Protestors in action during last week.
In a media release, the union said that, “it will commence peaceful protests/marches throughout Georgetown from Friday December 20, 2013 at 11:00 hrs (11:00 am) to Tuesday December 31, 2013 and hereby, seeks the concurrence and cooperation of the Guyana Police Department.”
The union’s intended routes for this exercise, “starts at GPSU’s Headquarters, 160 Regent & Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Bourda, Georgetown, down Regent Street to the junction of Vlissengen Road; South along Vlissengen Road to the junction of Vlissengen Road and Brickdam; West along Brickdam to the junction of Brickdam and High Street, North along High Street into the Western side of Main Street to the junction of Main and Lamaha Streets, East to the junction of Lamaha Street and Eastern Side of Main Street, South along the Eastern side of Main Street into High Street to the junction of High Street and Regent Streets, East along Regent Street and back to the GPSU headquarters.”
The union warned that these activities would be held daily except for Saturdays and Sundays.
The union has remained resolute in getting the government to change its position on the annual arbitrary imposition of increases on state workers. It has been argued that for the past 12 years an arbitrary increase has been the state of affairs; denying union members the right to relevant consultations.
Workers argue that the “measly” increases are inadequate as it is unable to suffice the cost of living.
The government has charged however that they are unable to pay the workers more than five percent citing the Opposition’s slashing of the government forwarded budget. They subsequently charged that money allocated for public servants is not only for their pay increase, so despite the approved sum that was allocated for the workers, they cannot have it.
Public servants received their five percent increase yesterday.
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