‘Put ‘people over profit’

Jun 24, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor

The Guyana Public Service Union salutes all workers in the Public Service of Guyana in recognition of United Nations Public Service Day June 23, 2024. As you continue to deliver Quality Public Services to the citizenry and escalate the development process of Guyana, be mindful of your value, role and the impact of the services provided to the communities that benefit and depend on these facilities for their survival.

As Public Servants providing Health Care, Building Infrastructure, Ensuring Safety, Delivering Education, Air Navigation Services, Revenue Collection, Environmental Health and Protection Services, you are the foundation upon which growth and development takes place. The power of progress is in the hands of the Public Sector Workers to shape the innovative advancements that propels progress in societies.

However, today as governments all over the world reprioritize their agendas to handle global shifts and problems emanating from wars, climate disasters, widening gaps in inequalities, poverty and technology Public Service Workers find themselves holding the shorter end of the sticks.

The Guyana Public Service Union calls on the Government of Guyana to reprioritize its growth and modernization agendas to include adequate accommodation for the human capital, the Public Service Workers, without which development and progress would not efficiently happen. Development and Progress must be inclusive of the workers that manage and implement the system in delivering Quality Public Services for a better future. As the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres stated: “Let’s work shoulder-to-shoulder with these champions of service to build a healthier, more prosperous and equal world for all people”.

Decent work is a human right! Stop the wealth drain, stop the brain drain. Put ‘people over profit’. While cumulative wealth is created for some, precarious work continues for others. Stop the hemorrhaging of much needed resources that can provide adequate pay for workers. It is just a political will that is needed to change the circumstances of poverty. PSI General Secretary: “A nurse on night shift on a COVID ward… pays more tax than the corporation that is making massive profits from the medicine she is administering”.

The time to act is now. Public Service Workers deliver the core of government services and lack the recognition for the value created; their development is stymied by poor responsive mechanisms to strengthen them in preparation for a better future, for themselves and that of their families.

Notwithstanding, the Guyana Public Service Union salutes all Public Service Workers on this special day, bringing recognition to your stewardships in fulfilling your obligations with commitment and dedication to building progressive societies for all. Continue to strive for excellence despite the many inequitable situations faced daily. You are the real heroes of the world.

Happy United Nations Public Service Day 2024.

Regards
Guyana Public Service Union

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António Guterres, Building Infrastructure, Ensuring Safety, health care, PSI General Secretary, UN Secretary General

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