The Guyana Public Service Union has rejected the Government’s announced salary increases for public servants and is not pleased that the APNU+AFC administration may be doing like its predecessor and imposing salary increases.

GPSU First Vice President, Dawn Gardner, today told News Source that the announcement by the Government of salary increases between 0.5% and 7% cannot be accepted.

She said the Union learnt of the increases through the media and was not part of any negotiation or discussion that arrived at the figure.

“It is a form of disrespect. The members need to understand that its not a disrespect only to the executive of the union, but it is a disrespect to the general membership and the entire public sector. We as public servants, we want respect. You give to get respect and if you’re going to something like this to us, when you told us in the 2015 budget presentation, the Minister of Finance said we are going to restore collective bargaining. The union is only negotiating on behalf of its members”, she said.

Last week, the GPSU complained that the Government had failed to call a single meeting this year to address salary increases for public servants.

According to the union, the government has also failed to replace the now retired Permanent Secretary for the Public Service Department.

The Permanent Secretary was the Government’s lead negotiator on the salary issue.

The First Vice President said the coalition government had promised to return to collective bargaining to address salary increases for public servants, but the move is a departure from that promise.

“You tell me this is what you’re going to do and this is in keeping with the ILO convention and keeping with the laws, and now you are coming to do something contrary, and that is wrong.”

The Ministry of Finance has already issued a circular announcing the 2018 increases, which are to be paid retroactive to January one of this year.

The Finance Minister has also indicated that public servants will see increases for 2019 and 2020.

The GPSU had submitted a multi year proposal to the government for salary increases. The union is still to receive a response to that proposal. Ms. Gardner said any talk of strike action at this time will be up to the members of the GPSU.

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