GPSU vows to continue struggle for living wage for public servants

Jan 05, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor, 

Thank you for allowing space to bring attention to the evasiveness of the Government of Guyana to engage the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) since the last encounter with the Union through the collective bargaining process was very discomforting. Particularly because it was the people that elected Government, which having been foresworn to uphold the law, commits wanton breaches of the law in full public view and with no consequences. It tells the populace that the institutions that were formulated to keep Government in check are either not working as they should, politically hijacked or is devoid of appropriate mechanisms to ensure good governance. It is ultimately the people that must decide the fate of rogue Governments.

The GPSU is guided by Article 147 (3) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana; Section 23 (1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act 1997, International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention № 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, Convention № 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining  and Convention № 151 on Labour Relations (Public Service)  that were all ratified by the Parliament of Guyana and are in force, together with the Agreement for the Avoidance of Settlement of Disputes, between the Government of Guyana and the GPSU that is embodied in the Public Service Rules (1987). The blatant disregard for the legal requirements of the laws and other legal instruments, including the spirit of good industrial relations is abominable. The fact that most of the electorate also treat lightly with Government’s lack of legal compliance, leaves much to be desired, especially because the inevitable “trickle down” effects of such non-compliance would ultimately prove harmful to the populace. This has been evidenced over the last twenty-three (23) years of PPP/C governance from 1992 to 2015 and is now evident again, since resuming office in August 2020.  The APNU/AFC Government over its five (5) year tenure was also culpable, it did follow the PPP/C example in relation to breaches of the laws governing collective bargaining.

Notwithstanding, the GPSU is proud to boldly recognise its contributions to improving the wages and salaries landscape of the workers of Guyana through the astute employment of industrial relations and the arsenal of tools available to Trade Unions.

These contributions were realized at devastating cost to the Union, where it suffered the withholding of its check-offs, re-registration of its membership, arbitrary and irregular cancellation of its agency fees agreement and the arbitrary and unlawful de-recognition of the Forestry Commission and other Agencies.

Notable among the contributions are the wages and salaries increase that were either negotiated or awarded at the level of an arbitration tribunal, viz.

• Tax-free salary increases of twenty (20) percent on December 31, 1992 salaries with effect from July 1, 1993 (Negotiated);
• A five (5) percent increase effective January 1, 1994 for workers on Bands 1 to 5 and a similar percentage effective July 1, 1994 for workers on Bands 6 to 14 (Negotiated);
• Nine and one half (9½) percent interim pay increase effective January 1, 1998 and an increasing graduating scale of percentages of thirteen and one half (13½) percent (Bands 13-14), fourteen one half (14½) percent (Bands 11-12), fifteen (15) percent (Bands 9-10), fifteen one half (15½) percent (5-8), sixteen (16) percent (Band 4), twenty-four (24) percent (Band 3) and thirty (30) percent (Bands 1-2). The award included the payment of specialized allowances between fifteen (15) and twenty-five percent to “key and critical” staff (Negotiated);
• A thirty-one point zero six (31.06) percent increase for the year 1999, based on the December 31, 1998 wages and salaries, followed by a twenty-six point six six (26.66) percent increase on the December 31, 1999 wages and salaries, effective January 1, 2000 (Arbitration);
• By agreeing to honour the outcomes of the Arbitration Tribunal 1999, the Government was bound by the award requiring de-bunching of employees and payments of increments, with effect from January 1, 1999, together with payments to the Professional, Managerial and Technical personnel that would otherwise “bring them to within 10% of the Private Sector median eventually”, but by December 31, 2000. These measures were not implemented by Government to date (Arbitration);
• Adjustments, in keeping with the percentages awarded of 1999, to “General allowances: overtime, duty allowances, etc.” were to be made. This requirement was also not implemented by Government to date (Arbitration); and
• Mention must also be made of the July 1997 report of a Committee set up by President Cheddi B. Jagan in the year 1997 to “Consider the question of wages and salaries in the Public Service. The GPSU as part of the Presidential Committee negotiated the payment of a differentiated increase, where Band 1 employees at the lower limit was to receive 25% and employees on Band 14 a minimum of 15% and employees graded on the Bands between would be paid various percentages between 25% and 14%. The pay-outs that were scheduled for mid-August 1997 and the end of November 1997 was however scuttled by the Government.

These increases set the tone that have created the bedrock on which the wages and salaries of Public Servants stands today. For the record, had it not been for the vigilance and tactical interventions of the GPSU at that time, the current earnings of Public Servants would have been less than half of what it is today. Yet, financial erosions of these gains have occurred and are occurring through persistent inflationary trends and loss of purchasing power as a result of currency depreciations, among other things. Guyana’s Governments over the years have continuously failed to harness these negative economic circumstances, but stubbornly over the last twenty-three (23) years, since the Arbitration Tribunal award of 1999, discarded the tenets of the Law, in order to exploit workers’ hard-earned rights and privileges by imposing miniscule unilateral increases to date.

The PPP/C in August 2015, when in opposition, castigated the then ruling APNU/AFC Government for awarding its elected officials, etc. a 50% pay increase, while not extending this obvious requirement to workers in the State. The population supported the action of the PPP/C by decrying the APNU/AFC move as selfish and insensitive. However, after acceding to office in August 2020, the PPP/C showed no rancor at accepting the salaries set by the previous administration, but openly accepted those terms and conditions for themselves and shamelessly paid no increases to the workers during that year. Had the Government shown the compassion it conjured to woo the populace, when in opposition, the workers would have been in a better place today.

There is a lot of misinformation about the Union, but if people should enlighten themselves with the facts that are stated in the aforementioned paragraphs, the outstanding performance of the Union would be clearly and definitively established, while highlighting the challenges and frustrations that have become etched in time, during the continued struggle for a living wage for workers. This campaign would never cease until the goals are achieved by the Union.

With best wishes for a productive and prosperous New Year 2023 to all.

Regards,

Indira Thakurdin

Guyana Public Service Union

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