UG staffers refuse “meagre” multi-year pay increase

Feb 05, 2015 News

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-set to picket OP today

Staff members of the University of Guyana (UG) have categorically rejected a “too meagre”

multi-year increased pay package that was offered to them yesterday by the tertiary institution’s Negotiating Team.
This is according to President of the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU), Mr. Bruce Haynes. He told this publication that a meeting with the negotiating team yesterday saw an offer of a five per cent salary increase for 2015, 10 per cent for 2016 and 10 per cent for 2017 to the tertiary institution staff.
According to Haynes following the meeting, the Unions – UGWU and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association – took the proposal to the workers who unanimously rejected it. He disclosed that while the staffers were demanding a no less than 60 per cent pay hike across the board, the minimum that they are prepared to accept is 20 per cent.
The demand for the 60 per cent increase, among other improved benefits and better working conditions were earlier proposed to the negotiating team. Talks in this regard had collapsed with the Vice Chancellor even stating his unwillingness to continue negotiations with the UGSSA, which was formerly headed by Dr. Pat Francis, a senior lecturer at UG.
Dr. Francis has long been critical of the Vice Chancellor’s mode of operation and has not relented in her criticisms during protest actions in recent days.  The UGSSA is currently headed by Dr. Mellissa Ifill, who, from all indications, fully supports her predecessor’s stance.
The UGWU also stands firmly with the UGSSA. It has insisted that it would not negotiate without the

UGSSA support.
According to Haynes yesterday, “The workers have said that the amount that (the Negotiating Team) is offering is not sufficient for them to return to work.”
Staffers of the University since last week Monday commenced industrial action to condemn the collapse of negotiations. Although the industrial action was intended to be a mere sit-in, it evolved into a full-fledged picketing action with staffers and students blocking the entrance to the institution on Monday.  It was expected that yesterday’s meeting would have appeased the situation.
Haynes noted that while the Negotiating Team did not make any attempts to explain how the multi-year package was arrived at, efforts were however made to insist that that was the best possible offer at the moment.
The UGWU President said that the meeting at the Turkeyen Campus was attended by Vice Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi who opted to leave even before its conclusion. “Perhaps he was feeling sick again,” said Haynes.
The Vice Chancellor had over the weekend checked himself into the Caribbean Heart Institute reportedly to have heart related concerns addressed. He was kept overnight for observation but was fit enough on Monday to counter a staff/student protest action that essentially halted the operation of the University.
The Vice Chancellor, bearing placards of his own, urged the workers to return to work and advised, that while the staffers “deserved better” the University could only afford to pay a five per cent increase.
Because of the meeting, yesterday, Haynes said that staffers were not able to continue their

protest action. There were in fact plans to picket Office of the President to further amplify concerns. Haynes nevertheless noted that the staffers will fulfill that plan today.
It is expected that this move will prompt Government to render some support in time for a follow up meeting with the Negotiating Team tomorrow.
According to Dr. Francis, who has been vocal about the Vice Chancellor’s role to help raise money to offset the challenges faced at UG (ranging from less than acceptable facilities to poor wages and salaries), efforts should have long been made to solicit support from Government.  “I am saying that the Government must provide the money because the Government has a responsibility to the nation and the nation has said that it wants its children educated and that it is willing to put tax dollars…so the Government must provide what we are demanding,” asserted Dr. Francis.
In a statement issued last evening President of the UGSSA, Dr. Ifill, said that the University’s Negotiating Team made a number of proposals at yesterday’s meeting. These included,  concessions for lecturers with a masters degree; five per year for UB staff with 10 years’ service (agreement in principle with MOF); a house lot for those eligible (cost of land to be paid for by staff) (agreement in principle with MOH); an increase in travelling allowance for UB staff from 3200 to 5000; an increase in travelling for UA staff (amount to be negotiated but less than 200% proposed); uniform suiting cloth from three to four for UB staff; five bursaries for children of staff who perform creditably at Grade 6, CSEC and CAPE examinations, (five at each level and staff will suffer no loss in salaries for the period on sit in).
The staff at a meeting held in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre immediately after the Negotiation meeting ended at around 12:30, rejected the proposal by the Administration as inadequate on the grounds that: staff members have indicated that their main concern is to secure an increase in salaries and what is being proposed is ultimately 10 per cent over three years, as staff usually get the 5 per cent annual increase from the state in any event.
Another ground for rejection was premised on the fact that two items, house lots and duty free concessions, are not under the control of the University and no binding agreement was presented.
Moreover, the staffers, according to Dr. Ifill “are not offered to all categories of UA staff, only lecturers; many staff already have house lots and the process to secure one can be accessed individually.”
She added, too, that it was highlighted that “travelling offered to UB staff is inadequate and does not properly address increased public transportation costs; (and) giving UB staff four uniform suiting cloth with no increase in assistance, to get them made only increases their burden, as already monies are only given to sew one out of three.”
The Unions therefore, submitted a compromise salary increase counter proposal of 25 per cent for year one; 25 per cent for year two and 25 per cent for year three, Dr. Ifill informed. This will be discussed at the meeting set for tomorrow, she added.
And if there is a satisfactory result from Friday’s negotiations and the students’ listed concerns are adequately addressed, Dr. Ifill said that staffers have assured that normalcy will be fully restored at the University by Monday February 9, 2015.

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