President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Patrick Yarde, on Monday expressed frustration over Government’s unfulfilled promises made to public servants.
In blasting Government for this significant disappointment, the GPSU president said that increased wages and salaries were among other failed promises made by the administration.
“When one hears of an early 2019 budget — and this is what was significantly provoking: you giving publicity to a 2019 budget and things you promised in the 2015 budget you haven’t even addressed — this is so baffling. I want to know if I am going crazy, ‘cause I am trying to understand it: we haven’t even commenced salary negotiations for 2018,” the GPSU president said.
“Is it that we’re idiots? Or isn’t there someone on the other side who could recognise that this thing is out of sequence and should be corrected?” Yarde questioned.
Yarde informed the media that numerous commitments made by the Government are yet to be addressed. He noted that, over a year ago, Government sent a terms of reference “for a committee to look at this thing (wages and salaries’ increases for public servants), and we made sure that we sent back the terms of reference and we said we accept it without a change; and over a year ago, a terms of reference for a committee (and) the committee can’t meet!”
He accused Government of providing only “lip service” to its commitments.
Yarde noted that he understands the coalition Government had inherited some ‘baggage’ from the previous administration, but he nevertheless believes that the time has come to end the sufferings of public servants.
“Leaving aside the assorted baggage inherited from its predecessor, the PPP/C regime, it is the considered opinion of the GPSU that the incumbent political administration has been considerably inattentive to addressing the plight of public servants; so that, apart from failing to alleviate the material suffering of its own workers, the Government has — it would appear — been unmindful of the nexus between a suitably equipped and motivated public service and the efficiency and effectiveness of its own administration,” Yarde declared.
Yarde also pointed out that since the Government ascended to office, it “has been, in large measure, a one-sided encounter in which the administration appears to have been deaf to the appeals of the Union”.
The GPSU president opined that the present situation has enormous effects on the workers, and, as such, should be given ‘positive attention’.
Yarde said President David Granger usually speaks of the good life, and so he is calling on him and his cabinet members to address these burning issues.
He added, “We dare the Government to challenge anything that we have stated here”.
The public servants’ representative declared that public servants have been quiet for far too long, and he said their situation has reached a point of considerable frustration, birthed from disbelief that there is no end to their sufferings.
