Public Servants to get 7 per cent increase

– irregularities in salary scales to be rectified
Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh during a virtual broadcast earlier today disclosed that
Public Servants are set to benefit from a seven per cent increase in salaries, retroactive to January
1, 2021. “I am pleased to announce now, that your government will be paying an across-the-
board increase of seven per cent to public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined
services, constitutional office holders, as well as government pensioners,” Dr Singh said.
He continued, “This increase will be granted retroactively to January 1, 2021, and work will start
immediately to ensure that it is processed and paid to eligible employees together with their
December salary and in time for the festive Christmas season.” He said that the announcement is
in keeping with the PPP/C Administration’s promise to increase public servants’ salaries by 50
percent in their first term in office. It is also a commitment which was recently made by
President Irfaan Ali and Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.
Dr. Singh noted that instructions were given to immediately implement the measures. The
finance minister also announced that frontline workers will be receiving a special pay-out to be
made by the end of December. “Your government has set aside an amount of $400M for a
special 2021 pay-out to be made to frontline workers in the health sector who have continued to
face extenuating circumstances in the daily discharge of their duties, as our country and the
world continue to battle the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Singh revealed. The
finance minister went on to point out that government will be rectifying the irregularities in
salary scales across positions in the public sector. The minister noted that provisions for this will
be made in budget 2022.
“For example, a new graduate with a degree in environmental science might be earning $120,000
in one agency while a new graduate with an identical degree in environmental science might be
earning $190,000 in another agency,” Minister Singh explained. He continued, “Government
will be taking steps next year to reduce these inconsistencies, by making suitable adjustments to
salaries in order to improve the parity and consistency with which persons with comparable
qualifications are paid.”
Dr. Singh said that the announcement of the measures adds to what Government has been doing
since taking office to improve the lives of all Guyanese. He declared 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, a special $25,000 to all
old age pensioners, public assistance recipients, and persons living with disabilities and the
restoration of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant are just a few to mention.