Toshaos stipend to increase from $30k to $50k monthly

Dec 10, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Even though Toshaos in Guyana had begged the Government to increase their monthly stipend to be equivalent to, at least, that of a public servant’s minimum wage, Government is processing only a $20,000 increase, which will take their monthly allocations to $50,000.

Village leaders at a prior National Toshaos Conference

Kaieteur News understands that the increase is being processed by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
Speaking with this newspaper, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Mr. Ryan Toolsiram, said, “I can confirm that it has been approved and the Region is processing the increase for Toshaos. They are Toshaos, but it (payments) came through the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development because the payment comes through the Region”.
The official could not say when the increase would take effect, but assured that the Government has been looking into the concerns previously highlighted.
Kaieteur News had first reported that the Village Leaders were seeking to be compensated with at least $70,000 monthly.
Village Toshao, Vivian Edwards complained in a letter, “I think Toshaos deserve better than just a stipend. These men and women, work tirelessly for their respective communities. Toshaos wear many caps and do the work of peace officers, police officers, councillors, receptionists, negotiators, forest rangers, managers of their respective communities, and the list goes on. The Village Councils, which they head, are like an arm of many Ministries of the Government (Amerindian Affairs, Agriculture, Health), since they are expected to execute many plans of the Government”.
He added that these Amerindian Village Leaders should be treated with more respect as $30,000 per month does not suffice to pay expenses and put food on the table throughout the month.
The Toshaos Council presently has a 114-member body. It would have cost the Government just under $8million, on a monthly basis, to increase the Toshaos allowance to the $70,000 minimum wage.
Weighing in on the matter was former Toshao and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Lennox Shuman who said that the Government simply does not value the work of Toshaos.
In fact, Shuman in an invited comment, reasoned that, “The President can increase his salary by $150,000 a month and Indigenous leaders are still stuck with a paltry $30,000. It shows where their priority is at”.
He argued that when the PPP was in Opposition, they publicly criticized the former Coalition Government of increasing the Ministers’ wages by 50 percent, yet “they have not done anything to repeal those raises”. In fact, he said that the Government has again significantly increased salaries to benefit themselves.
“I continue to appeal to the Government to look at Indigenous people in an inclusive manner and ensure that the Indigenous leaders get their fair compensation equal to the work they are expected to do,” he added.
In addition to this, the House Speaker said he believes that Indigenous leaders should be paid under the Indigenous Peoples Commission and not under any Minister.
In expressing his dissatisfaction over what he described as a paltry increase, Shuman said, “It simply shows that the Government does not value the work that Toshaos do”.
Head of State President Ali is guaranteed to collect some$1.8M more on his Christmas salary, as based on his $150,000 monthly increase.
This is versus the $4,900 monthly increase for minimum wage workers in the public system, amounting to a $58,000 increase in their Christmas pay, which accounts for their retroactive adjustments.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Singh on November 11 last had announced that public servants would be benefiting—in their December salary—from a seven percent increase, retroactive to January.
There was no pay increase the previous year.
A government minister, earning $869,000, will now receive an increase of $60,830 to his or her monthly salary, with the signing of the order by Dr. Ashni Singh.
Meanwhile, Toshaos have been complaining of the difficulties they face in keeping food on their tables, in the midst of a pandemic and the burdensome increase in the overall cost of living.
Toshao Vivian Edwards in his letter to this newspaper presented the issue this way, “The duties and responsibilities of a community leader are far more than one can imagine and I feel it has been too long that Toshaos are being neglected in this area. To make matters even worse, most Toshaos are family men and women. How can someone do all this work and still manage to provide for their families sufficiently with thirty thousand? We do encounter expenses for our school children; we have family obligations which all require money to get done”.
“The festive season is upon us and just imagine our Toshaos spending thirty thousand dollar to meet the needs of their families,” the Toshao added.