Public employees will benefit fully from eight per cent salary increase

─ $8.4B approved for public service ministry

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, said public servants will enjoy an additional eight per cent salary increase this year.

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali had previously announced that in addition to the 10 per cent paid out in 2024, public servants and teachers will receive an eight per cent raise in 2025.  

“Whenever it is paid, it will be retroactive to the 1^st of January. Public servants will get the full benefit of the increase effective 1^st of January,” the minister said.

Minister Singh explained that the increase is part of a multi-year agreement signed between the government and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).

He was at the time defending the $8.4 billion budgetary allocations for the Ministry of Public Service while the estimates were being examined in the Committee of Supply.

Following extensive scrutiny, the house approved $8 billion in current provisions and $174 million in capital expenditures.

The majority of the allocation has been earmarked for human resource development, with $8 billion earmarked to train public employees.

An opposition parliamentarian questioned whether training programmes are being updated to reflect modern challenges. And in response, Minister Singh noted that discussions have been held with the training division to ensure the programmes are relevant and updated.

“It is important that we [the government] ensure that what we are offering is relevant and adapted to the most current realities and current challenges,” the minister stated.

Another $64 million was approved to support human resource management and technology and a further $207.2 million for policy development and administration.