GPSU accuses Government of stalling negotiations for salary increases; Objects to expired agreement being used

The Guyana Public Service Union is surprised and dismayed at the President’s recent announcement that the Government intends to provide salary increases for public servants in keeping with the multi-year agreement.

In a statement on Saturday, the GPSU said there is currently no multi-year agreement in place, and reminded that the last agreement on salary increases for public servants expired last year.

The union said it is contradictory and unacceptable that while the Ministry of Public Service has formally requested additional time from the Union to commence negotiation talks, the President is announcing the basis for upcoming salary adjustments.

The union noted that the Government has already failed in its obligation to honour its commitment to meet with the GPSU monthly, in keeping with the 2024 Agreement, noting that as early as December 2025, it wrote to the Government requesting a review of the 2025 wage increases and calling for the immediate commencement of negotiations for 2026.

The Government has failed to begin those negotiations.

“Collective bargaining cannot be pre-empted by unilateral presidential pronouncements, nor can an expired agreement be arbitrarily extended to govern a new period. The 2024–2025 Multi-Year Agreement provided for increases of 10% in 2024 and 8% in 2025. Any salary adjustment for 2026 must be properly negotiated in strict accordance with the 1987 Agreement for the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes, the Constitution of Guyana, and applicable labour legislation”, the GPSU said.

The union, which represents thousands of workers in the public service, said forcing public servants to survive on last year’s wages amid the cost-of-living crisis is not only negligence, but is also a deliberate stalling tactic.

It said although the 2026 National Budget was passed in February, funds already allocated for workers remain withheld ten months later while genuine collective bargaining has been sidelined.

The GPSU said by running down the clock until year-end, the Government guarantees that any retroactive payout backdated to January will be issued as a lump sum and heavily taxed at 25%—effectively clawing back vital relief that workers needed months ago to cover their basic needs.

“The severe financial strain caused by these delays is well-documented. As part of its effort to engage in meaningful collective bargaining, the GPSU has already submitted ethnographic research findings to the Government establishing that minimum-wage families with at least one child experience a monthly shortfall of 31% to 35% of their gross household income just to meet essential expenses across food, housing, healthcare, and utilities. A 35% increase would amount to approximately G$35,000 on a G$102,000 salary. While even this figure does not constitute a true living wage, it represents a critical and necessary step toward easing severe household hardship. Despite the Union’s proactive submission, to date, a counter-proposal has not been submitted by the Government. Dedicated public servants continue to keep this country running while struggling daily to feed, house, and clothe their families”, the union said.

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