Disappointed with the Coalition Government

Aug 25, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I penned this letter to you with an immense burden for Public Servants like myself. It’s a fact that as humans we must learn to acclimatize to change(s) and most change(s) comes with displeasure and apprehension. However, some of the changes that we are presently experiencing are totally uncalled for.
We as Public Servants were comforted knowing that those attached to Governmental offices as Contract Workers would become ‘Permanent’ Staff but what we weren’t aware of is the list of rules and regulations that are attached to the package. Disappointedly, we were told that we are being placed on one year probation and we are not entitled to have sick leave (concession) and annualised vacation leave. Should we report sick and or produce sick leave our salaries will be deducted. We are knowledgeable of the fact that most times when commencing a new job, one will be placed on a three to six months’ probation nevertheless we have no issue with the one year.
We are gravely disturbed because those of us that labored for the Government for years whether it be five or nine years have lost our years of service, we have toiled for months and cannot proceed on Annualised Vacation Leave effective June 2016 or if we do, it will be deducted from our Annualised Leave 2017. What is even more disturbing is the fact that majority of us weren’t aware of these rules since some of us had already applied for Vacation Leave but had to withdraw it with immediate effect.
Also many other employees face the terrifying truth of not having their monthly salaries for several months, some up to three months and counting. Could this be fair? Can you imagine what it feel like to have a family to take care of, children to send to school, food to put on the table, bills to pay, rent due and toiling tirelessly for months and not being able to reap the benefits of your labor because of the failure to apprise employees of the basic facts.
Every organisation has its organisational structure or its hierarchical structure as some may call it, that consists of persons whom power is vested to ensure that information be circulated to the subordinates, but in our case the messages are being trickled through the grape vine, instead we would be sanctioned to meetings to listen to things that aren’t so pertinent and that which is to be deemed as paramount importance would have been treated like “wuh come suh do”, as we Guyanese would say it and we the ones in the public sector suffers the great blow.
During the so called May 2015 Election campaign we were advice to vote for “change”, so many of us stepped out in our numbers and “Vote like a boss” and now we’re reaping the consequences of this so called change.
Why couldn’t they make the changes without making us uncomfortable? I’m not a politician or am I taking sides in any political arena, but my main concern is the way in which information of such importance would have been transmitted and the plight which persons unaware are liable to. A question I leave for you Mr. Editor, what if you had already booked your flight and paid the enormous sum of cash and would have been expected to leave this country for relaxing vacation but then became aware of the repercussions of doing so, what would you do?
Disappointed Public Servants

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