Dear Editor,
GPL is insisting that a 9% pay rise for its employees is affordable when the company cannot meet its fuel needs, is going into debt, is not profitable, cannot increase the capacity and is struggling with repairs?
The unions that represent the company employees thinks that this situation warrants a bigger increase in wages even with all the problems that GPL has outlined above.
A clear message needs to be sent to the unions and to GPL employees. It is simply: “No, we will not subsidize you while our families are struggling.”
The unions and the GPL employees are playing on the fear of people not wanting to turn off the electricity over the Christmas period. Guyanese are being “strong-armed” into a position of irrelevance. If you do not stand up to GPL and the unions now you will regret it this year, next year and every year.
This is the one company that Guyanese do not want to be subsidized by the Government, grants from overseas, or by any other “energy” company.
This is the company that Guyanese need to call their own. And, as such it needs to be made highly profitable.
The Government needs to make GPL profitable to the tune of G$4B per year. Then GPL needs to be privatised so that the majority of the shares remain in small shareholders’ hands (that is, the ordinary Guyanese people).
Giving GPL more monies is telling the employees and the management that they are functioning well when there is a clear case that they are not performing as Guyanese demand. As well it makes the unions that are demanding the pay rise believe that even if a company is failing Guyanese they can get a top-up for their members (and themselves).
Yours faithfully,
Sean Brignandan
