The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday signed an agreement for the avoidance and settlement of disputes.
The agreement, which recognised GPSU as the official body to represent employees of GRA, was signed yesterday in the boardroom of the Department of Labour, on Brickdam.
This development came just days after the process was delayed.
Commissioner-General of GRA Godfrey Statia during his brief remarks at the signing described the process as a “long, drawn out” one.
He said currently GRA employs close to 1,300 persons and only 40% are members of the GPSU. “The agreement covers only members of the union. I would say that would be just over 40%, about 500 persons at the last count, just over 500 persons,” Statia said.
He explained that now that the GPSU has been formally recognised by GRA, the membership is expected to increase.
“The other staff members, they could choose what they want… What I must say is that persons were not going. I mean the union tried to actually get members to join but what was happening was that the members recognised that the union was not even recognised, so some of them did not want to join until they [the union] were recognised. So I am sure that now that the union is recognised there would be an [upswing] in membership,” Statia further explained.
Statia said that the agreement means that the agency now has an additional level of representation for its staff and its members, who would expect that there would be an improvement one in workers welfare and in efficiency.
In 2016, GRA officially recognised GPSU as the labour representative for its employees and has engaged in negotiations with the union since then to arrive at a collective bargaining agreement. Management of the GRA had in 2016 notified employees that they were free to join the union.
President of the GPSU Patrick Yarde expressed his gratitude to the staff of GRA for their support to the union during negotiations.
He said the agreement has been in the pipeline for a number of years but due to the delays under the previous administrations of GRA, it was never finalised.
“I must also express my appreciation to Mr Statia that it is being completed under his watch and I can assure the GRA management that the Guyana Public Service Union will be very professional in this approach, very objective. While we will undoubtedly place emphasis on member rights and elevation and benefits, equally we will also look at the viability and the development of GRA,” Yarde said.
“…I expected this happening much earlier than now. It is undoubtedly an achievement under the Commissioner General Statia which we are happy about,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle said that signing of the agreement is just “one small” step.
He noted that the two agencies intend to begin negotiation of a Collective Labour Agreement, which will focus on the conditions of employments and the hours of work.
