Govt’s commitment to public servants reaffirmed by VP Jagdeo

A call has been made to Guyanese to reject the false narrative being peddled by the opposition and other anti-government voices that the government is deliberately withholding pay increases for public servants.

Making the call Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo who spoke at a community meeting on Saturday on the West Bank Demerara. The Vice President reminded that it is the same APNU+AFC Coalition government that took away the one-month tax free bonus from the joint services, which the current administration has since re-implemented.

Dr. Jagdeo stressed that it was his Government that redeemed the public service from a pauperised state, “…but they can only say that for people who do not know the history of this country or who are not aware of and we need to stand up to this sort of thing.”

Dr. Jagdeo made it clear that the PPP/C Administration will not allow this sort of thinking by the opposition to dictate its policies, “we have a straight and clear ideology and we have a goal which we outlined in our manifesto.”

The former president pointed out that the current government has committed to providing citizens with world-class education and healthcare, providing job opportunities and ensuring their safety, and the administration has since embarked on that journey over the two years since returning to office.

VP Jagdeo stressed that the development taking place offshore will secure close to 3,000 jobs for residents on the West Coast Demerara, referencing the largest privately-owned wharf that is being constructed north of Vreed-en-Hoop, as well as the government’s investment in the construction of the New Demerara River Crossing and the opening up of lands for the construction of some 14, 000 houselots in the region, among several other major projects.

Jagdeo disclosed that the government is currently making efforts to reclaim approximately 5,000 acres of land that the APNU+AFC gave away for coconut production and to date cultivation has not begun.

It was revealed that in December 2021, more than 20,000 public servants benefitted from a seven per cent salary increase, coupled with a $400M bonus for frontline workers.

It was noted that the government has been making significant investments in the country despite the pandemic. While a large number of persons were laid off around the world, in Guyana, public servants continued to receive their salaries.

Further, the VP noted that the government has also been taking steps the rectify the irregularities in salary scales across positions in the public sector. He said that provisions were made in the 2022 budget.

The former president disclosed that these measures were added to what government has been doing since taking office, to improve the lives of all Guyanese. Additionally, Dr Jagdeo said that the COVID-19 cash grant of $25,000 per household, year-end bonuses in December 2020 to frontline workers and disciplined services, an increase in old age pension and public assistance along with the reversal of punitive taxes are just a few to mention.