The carrot of wage increases

The government’s carrot of promised wages increases to public servants is really calculated as a
payoff for them to take the jab and rescue the administration’s troubled COVID-19 vaccination
programme, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said in a press statement.
“Even though workers are faced with massive increases in the cost of living, the motive of the
Government must be exposed.  While the world looks on, everyone knows that this Government
is no different from previous PPP Governments,” the GPSU said.
While the Government finds time to institute elaborate, extensive and unconscionable schemes,
its officials have turned their backs on negotiations for increases in wages, salaries and
allowances for Public Servants for the last year and this year, the bargaining body complained.
GPSU is mystified by the invisible and mute leaders of CARICOM, the Diplomatic Corps and all
the other ‘so called’ pillars of strength, who were vocal and unyielding during the 2020 bitter and
controversial General and Regional Elections.
“Do they recognise the challenges to the Constitutional and Democratic Rights of the people?
GPSU queried.
“Their silence on such an important matter is deafening,” the Union said.
The GPSU statement reminded the Irfaan Ali administration that it campaigned on hiking wages
and salaries by 50 percent, and public sector employees are anxiously awaiting its fulfilment.
“The President boasted of his government’s first year successes, but forgot to give the workers
kudos for these successes, given that workers, not the politicians in Government, were the
engines of implementation since there could be no successes without the workers.” the Union
said.

“Mr. President, it is the dedicated, committed and underpaid public servants that
contributed these successes, even though your representative team are vacillating on the
future of these outstanding workers,” the GPSU statement reminded.