The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has said a request to government to commence negotiations for public servants’ wages, salaries, and allowances, has been ignored, thereby setting up a potential confrontation between the PPP/C administration and workers.
GPSU had previously disclosed that a letter to activate the collective bargaining process had been sent to Permanent Secretary Soyinka Grogan in keeping with Clause 6 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This clause allows for the Union to request a joint conference to discuss any matter affecting the general conditions of employment, including rates of pay and for such conference to be held without unreasonable delay.
According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, this letter written on March 11 has not been acknowledged three weeks later.
Stabroek News attempted to contact Grogan for a response to these claims and was told that she was unavailable as she was in a meeting. Calls to Minister Sonia Parag went unanswered.
GPSU in turn has dispatched a reminder even as it expressed concern about government’s conduct, while calling the issue an essential and urgent matter that is devastating the livelihood of public service workers and their families.
A meeting of the Union’s Executive Council extensively deliberated this “cruel treatment” meted out by government to “their most valuable resource” and questioned why the PPP/C administration appears to be provoking a confrontation.
“Why is it that the front line workers that are battling with escalating COVID-19 environment are being treated with such neglect; why is the staff of the Revenue Authority who surpassed their target in 2020 being treated with such disregard; why is it that the Air Traffic Controllers who are so essential to air traffic safety being treated so disrespectfully; why is it that the Agriculture Officers and the Drainage and Irrigation personnel, the sea defence staff, [and] the Public Health Inspectors [are] being subjected to this ill treatment?” GPSU questioned, before calling on government to cease its “unconscionable, uncaring, and insensitive” approach to addressing the welfare of public servants.
