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GPSU pledges support for Guyanese youths

Aug 13, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor

Ever since the year 2000, the Guyana Public Service Union celebrates the United Nations International Youth Day annually on August 12, as stipulated. The theme for the year 2022 is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages.”

The theme underscores the need for solidarity across generations to enable sustainable development. It therefore means that all generations must collaborate towards solving global issues that would threaten mankind’s wellbeing, livelihood and possible survival.

Today August 12, 2022 the Guyana Public Service Union, and more particularly youths within the membership, joins the world in celebrating International Youth Day, in full consciousness of global trajectory that suggests devastating consequences and/or implications for the future. Among them are climate change, the COVID-19 Pandemic, unchecked and spiraling costs of living because of fallouts from both the COVID-19 Pandemic and Russian/Ukraine war, unemployment, bad governance, inequality, lingering negative existence of racism, among other things.

In Guyana today, there are clear disparities between what is provided for the young workers, as compared to provisions for persons of older generations. Government seems more concerned with livelihoods of a selected few and significantly neglect those of pensionable status. The provisions for these older persons are miniscule, unreasonable and onerous to the needs of this group, especially for the majority who worked tirelessly within Government’s employ who received starvation wages that have been the mainstay of most employees within the Country.

These retirees have been condemned to lives of misery after retirement, requiring in most cases input from the meagre earnings of the younger generations of relatives for survival. It is also most unfortunate that Government’s inept planning and lack of consideration for the working class contribute to such financial pressures on young workers, who have responsibility for upliftment of themselves and those being weaned from the cradle. This obviously influences the basis for the flight of quality human resources from the Country for “greener pastures”, and to a life of greater stability.

Notwithstanding this, intergenerational solidarity has been a key factor for the survival of the older generations, where migrated family members have sought to support older folks living in Guyana. This is likened to the tentacles of Government reaching into the pockets of the migrated to support the older generations that should have had better retirement benefits and are able to enjoy higher standards of living. As a Trade Union, the GPSU has had to confront injustices that have contributed to the dissatisfaction and deprivation of citizens Countrywide. However, our young people must aspire to higher levels of education, professional advancement and critical levels of mental awareness of the challenges ahead, so that these could be confronted and resolved. This is no easy task, but with intergenerational support, determination and sacrifice it could be achieved.

Guyana Public Service Union is committed to supporting the advancement of its membership and looks forward to working with our youths towards a brighter tomorrow. The Guyana Public Service Union therefore wishes our youths and all young persons worldwide an enjoyable International Youth Day 2022 as the spirit of preparedness envelops us all, towards dealing with tomorrow’s challenges.

Regards

Patrick Yarde, President

Guyana Public Service Union

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