| The Guyana Public Service (GPSU) said that last November 20, it submitted to the government, proposals for consideration of public servants wages, salaries and allowances. The submission, however, failed to grab the attention of the government.Union head, Patrick Yarde, is therefore asking for a 15 percent increase for public service workers since approval has already been granted for this year’s budget.GPSU head Patrick YardeThis, he said, should be done pending the outcome of negotiations for wages and salaries.Yarde said that a request was made for the 2012 prepared proposals to be included in this year’s budget. Public servants would have received a 25 percent increase across the board.Yarde noted that the Union further requested an audience with Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, but a response was not received. The Union, following its Statutory Executive Council Meeting on May 13, “approved the multi-year proposals for 2013-2015 which were immediately submitted to the Government through the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry, Mr. Hydar Ally.”The recently sent letter stated, “These proposals are submitted without prejudice to our position on the arbitrary increases for the years up to and including 2012.”As expounded in the correspondence dated December 6, 2012, in relation to the individual years, Yarde said the following is recommended – that for 2013 there should be 25 percent increase across the board, 30 percent for the year 2014 and 35 percent across the board for the year 2015.The GPSU further requested that “In view of the fact that the Estimates of Expenditure for 2013 have already been approved by the National Assembly and among the provisions was a sum of $4.404B for the revision of wages and salaries, an interim increase of 15 per cent should be made immediately, pending the outcome of negotiations for wages and salaries.”GPSU is also seeking immediate commencement of negotiations, “and a commitment to a businesslike process of discussion, so that an award could be made expeditiously to forestall the unacceptable norms of end of year impositions,Supply NFL Jerseys, which has been the hallmark of Government’s practices for over a decade.”Regarding increases in allowances for public workers, “the Union stands by its proposals that were submitted by way of letter to the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry dated September 24, 2009.It is requesting that those proposals be used as the base and that similar increases be applied to all the years i.e. 2013 – 25%; 2014 – 30%; 2015 – 35%.”Labour Minister Nanda GopaulLabour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, disclosed earlier this week that in relation to wages, over 31,000 persons will benefit from the $35,000 minimum wage standard slated to take effect from July 1. This hike, he said will benefit from security guards to janitors to domestic workers.He added that for the first time in the history of Guyana, vulnerable workers will be protected by the implementation of a minimum wage.Both the private and public workers fall under this new implementation. |
