‘Budget betrays Guyana’s workers’ — WIN MP Singh slams 2026 spending plan, calls out parliamentary disorder

Feb 05, 2026 News

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By Renay Sambach

(Kaieteur News) – Opening the 2026 Budget debates on Wednesday, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Nandranie Singh delivered a blistering critique of the government’s $1.558 trillion National Budget, condemning the absence of any increase in the national minimum wage and describing the plan as a profound disservice to Guyana’s working people.

“How can that be fair to the workers of this country? A national minimum wage review is not just desirable, it is necessary,” she said.

The MP described the failure to raise wages as an injustice and called for an immediate review, arguing that workers and public servants should receive salary increases annually.

“Our workers and public servants must receive a salary increase each and every year. The private sector minimum wage has not increased since 2022 more than three years ago. Private sector workers earn less than public sector workers for similar work,” she stated.

The WIN MP pointed out that both the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) have repeatedly called for increases in the private sector minimum wage and the establishment of a national minimum wage that reflects the rising cost of living.

She stressed that the government has the means to act but lacks the will, accusing the administration of enriching itself at the expense of workers.

The MP also referenced cost-of-living pressures, citing the government’s Mid-Year Report, which showed that by the end of June 2025 the Consumer Price Index rose by 2.9 percent compared to the end of 2024, driven almost entirely by food prices.

“The working class people of this country face hardship and pressure every single day. Yet they are being asked to absorb rising costs while their wages remain stagnant. And yet, Mr. Speaker, it is this same working class – the very people struggling to keep up with rising prices who are contributing $71 billion dollars to this country’s revenue through income tax alone,” she said.

Singh added, “Let me begin by stating clearly that the We Invest in Nationhood Party stands firmly with the workers and public servants of this country in condemning the absence of a salary increase for the working people in the 2026 Budget.”

Addressing the budget’s theme, ‘Putting People First’, Singh noted that the $10,000 increase to the income tax threshold amounts to just $2,500 in additional monthly take-home pay for someone earning $200,000. “$2,500 Mr. Speaker, if you go Bourda market with that, you cannot even get enough vegetables to cook for 2 meals,” she noted.

According to Singh, Budget 2026 should have included a clear timeline for increasing the private sector minimum wage, salary increases for public sector workers, a commitment to wage parity, and a national wage policy aligned with cost-of-living realities.

“This absence is a profound disservice to the working people of Guyana, Mr. Speaker….It is a Budget crafted to secure comfort for those who already have, while offering little to nothing to the poor, the working class, and the vulnerable the very people who rely on the government the most. Mr. Speaker, this is not a people centred Budget; it is a prosperity for the few Budget,” she said.

Labelling the budget the “greatest tragedy,” Singh referenced the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, founder of the People’s Progressive Party, noting his belief that governments must prioritise the poor and working class. “It does not defend the poor nor does it uplift the working class. It does not honour the legacy it so often invokes,” she said, adding that the budget departs from Dr. Jagan’s principles.

Singh concluded that while the budget prioritises infrastructure, oil assets and large-scale projects, but fails workers.

Further, she pointed to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning and the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation, noting that these ministries are responsible for the workers who build the country and the public servants who deliver the services that keep it functioning are being placed on the backburner. She noted, “These are the very ministries that this Budget treat as afterthoughts just as the PPP government treats the working class of Guyana.”

Singh outlined that allocations for the ministry responsible for developing public servants declined from $8.4 billion in 2025 to $8 billion in 2026. “A minor decrease, yes, but why, when this is supposed to be the very ministry focusing our public servants’ development,” she questioned.

Turning to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, the MP said the provisions tell a broader story of public servants and workers being left behind in a trillion-dollar Budget. She noted that the ministry is tasked with formulating labour policies and standards, drafting occupational safety and health regulations, and matching job seekers with employers, among other responsibilities, but said the allocations provided to fulfil these mandates are revealing.

“The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning’s budget increased from approximately $1.51 billion in 2025 to $1.74 billion in 2026. An increase of about $300,000. In 2026, Mr. Speaker, the ministry received a mere 0.11% of our national expenditure. Recurrent expenditure increased, while capital expenditure fell sharply from just over $211 million in 2025 to about $138 million in 2026. In a Budget dominated by current expenditure, the Ministry responsible for worker protection is moving in the opposite direction,” she noted.

The MP questioned how the government believes inspections, occupational safety, and labour enforcement can be strengthened with reduced capital support, particularly at a time of expanding economic activity, increasing workplace risk, and the rapid growth of large-scale and hazardous projects.

Moreover, MP Singh also criticised the conduct of her fellow parliamentarians during the first two days of deliberations on the 2026 National Budget, calling for greater decorum and responsibility in the National Assembly.

“This Parliament is the second highest decision making body in our nation. It is where laws are shaped, where national priorities are debated, and where the conduct of Members should reflect the dignity of the offices we hold. Yet too often, Mr. Speaker, the proceedings of this House are overshadowed by disorder, constant interruptions, and behaviour unbefitting of a parliamentary chamber,” Singh said.

She noted that, as a first-time MP, she was both surprised and disappointed by some of the conduct she witnessed, and reminded MPs that children across Guyana can observe parliamentary proceedings.

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• betrays, budget, Guyana workers, parliamentary disorder

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