GPSU proposes hefty multi-year pay hike for public servants

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has proposed a total pay raise of 90 per cent for public servants over the next three years and has called for an immediate commencement of negotiations and a commitment to a businesslike process of discussion to avoid the yearly increase imposed by the government.

The union made the proposal in a letter to Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary, Hydar Ally last week.  The union said in a letter on November 20, 2012, it submitted to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, proposals for his consideration to be included in the proposed national budget for 2013. Among these were increases in wages, salaries and allowances for the public service of 25 per cent. The union also requested to meet with the minister.
The GPSU said at a statutory Executive Council meeting on Monday, May 13, the council approved a multi-year proposal for 2013-2015, which was immediately submitted to the government through Ally.
The union said the proposals were submitted without prejudice “to our position on the arbitrary increases for the years up to and including 2012, as expounded in our correspondence dated December 6, 2012”.
In relation to the individual years, the following proposals are made:  for 2013, a 25 per cent increase across the board in wages and salaries; for 2014, 30 per cent and 2015, 35 per cent.
“The GPSU is also requesting 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 Gy$4.404 billion 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.”
The union also requested an immediate commencement of negotiations, so that an award could be made expeditiously to forestall the “unacceptable norm of end-of-year impositions”, which has been a practice of the government for more than a decade.
Regarding increases in allowances for public workers, the union said it is standing by its proposals that were submitted by way of letter to Ally dated September 24, 2009, and is requesting that those proposals be used as the base and that similar increases be applied for all the years. The proposals called for a 25 per cent in 2013; 30 per cent in 2014 and 35 per cent in 2015.