Opposition motion to speed up new public servants pay defeated

Jul 23, 2022 News

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Kaieteur News – The Opposition side of the National Assembly on Thursday lost a motion seeking to have new public servants paid after one month of being employed with the State. It is customary that new public workers must wait three months before receiving a salary for work completed.

In some cases, the House heard, workers might wait as long as six months and astonishingly, even a year before having their first salary. As such, Public Service Minister under the former Granger led government, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, brought the motion seeking to have the government, “pay the first salary to public servants in one month.”

The government has nonetheless offered that the intricate nature of the state’s employee registration system is one that did not allow government to commit to paying the workers just a one month after being employed. In that light, the opposition motion was passed at the 48^th Sitting of the House at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre with the government amending the motion’s one month pay period to state, “within a reasonable time on receipt of a letter of appointment or signed contract.”

In presenting her case, Sarabo-Halley informed that during her one-year stint as subject minister, she received complaints that new public servants were waiting the long period before receiving their first salary. She provided testimonies of persons’ plight and urged that the three-month wait period be abolished. In one of the testimonies, she said the public servant found out that the three month wait was a “standard” procedure since processing of one’s employment paper work and approval would take three months.

However in this case, the staff was not paid until the sixth month. The minister argued mainly on the hardship persons face providing for themselves and families while having to work without pay. She pointed to workers having to borrow  before collecting their first pay. She noted that nowhere in the region could she find where such a practice exists.

Current Public Affairs Minister Sonia Parag, in responding to Sarabo-Halley said that government is committed to working “collaboratively with agencies to ensure that within a reasonable time after the request has been sent to be able to get persons their salaries.” She said there are agencies which the employment notice must go through before coming to her ministry, and that takes time. It is understood that when the application is submitted, the applicant must present all documents in a timely manner, it then goes to the Public Service Ministry and then on to the Finance Ministry. It is then sent back to the Public Service Ministry and then back to the hiring agency. The same applies if a person is seeking employment at a state agency outside of Georgetown. Minister Parag jabbed Sarabo –Halley claiming that while the opposition now wants the government to commit to the one month period, she did not change it while in office. She said the then minister had sent out a circular saying she wanted the practice ceased, but put no timeline in place for that to happen.

Several other Members of Parliament gave their bit on the motion from both sides of the House including Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, Jermaine Figueira, Dawn Hastings, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, Amanza Walton-Desir and Nima Flue –Bess among others.

Nima Flue-Bess argued strongly against the government using the system as an excuse for payment delays. She urged government to utilize technology and eliminate the paper system causing the delay. She urged the use of available computer programmes which she named, to affix signatures and necessary requirements so as to improve systems to help public servants.

As for Figueria, he said the current system is flawed and discriminatory. Regardless of the arguments, he told the House that a new government is in place and they must address the issue at hand.

The Finance Minister in his contribution claimed that the opposition knew that there was no ‘policy’ which caused new entrants into the public service to be paid three months after working. It resulted from “bureaucratic processes…known by the party and which it was unable to resolve itself for the benefit of hardworking public servants.” The Opposition, he said, is well aware of the process and that is why the government is proposing pay “as soon as possible” rather than committing to one month.

Attorney General Nandlall said that the government has no fundamental issue with public servants being paid on time and that he was aware of such cases, but noted that it is not a fact that it occurs across the board. He said it is also not a policy. He noted too that he is also aware of persons being paid within the one month period. He argued too that the problem also comes about when workers take on the job without receiving their instruments of employment.

The Opposition Leader told Nandlall that by admitting that some public servants were being paid within the one month period means that ensuring all workers get paid in that time is possible. He said that government must make the effort to ensure the “discrimination” stops and that all new public servants are paid within one month. The Opposition also reminded the government of the Commission of Inquiry into the public service that was done under the Granger –government and urged its use in fixing the public sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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