The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has informed the Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, of its intention to initiate industrial action over the Government’s failure to engage in collective bargaining with the union.  

In a letter dated April 3, 2024, the GPSU’s Acting General Secretary, Kemton Alexander, told the Labour Minister that the union can no longer accept the present situation and “has had enough”.

GPSU President, Patrick Yarde told a news conference today, that the Union has been more than patient with the Government.

He said it is time that the Government respects the union and engage in collective bargaining. Mr. Yarde said the Government has the resources to pay workers better salaries, as he rejected the contention by Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo that with volatile oil prices, the Government may not be able sustain a 50% increase in salaries for public sector workers. 

“It bothers me that he was a finance minister of this country, he caused the 1999 strike when agreeing to 3% over a period of 10 years when 31% was paid in one year and it didn’t reck this economy but he said inflation would have occurred and destroy the economy. Now, he is saying here volatile oil prices was the reason for not increasing wages and salaries. Guyana is an oil producing country, if prices for oil go up, it is more revenue this country getting. How would it impact upon the ability of the government to pay more money?” Yarde noted. 

According to the GPSU President, the Union has exhausted all available avenues to safeguard and protect the rights of public sector workers. He explained that back in September, the GPSU wrote the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Dhaneshwar Deonarine, requesting conciliation as a result of the breakdown in talks between the GPSU and the Public Service Ministry. A response was received four months later, and in that response, the Chief Labour Officer said he was advised by the Solicitor General that it was not for him to act, since the Union and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service are currently in Court over the same issue of collective bargaining. 

But the GPSU has rejected that position.

“We asked the Ministry of Labour to conciliate, which is the second step and we have the evidence, it took 148 days for the Chief Labour Officer to reply to us, and he only did so, after we wrote him indicating that we lost confidence in him. And then, the outrageous situation was that, in his reply to us after we wrote him then, he will send to us a copy of an advice given by the Solicitor General, who is under the Attorney General, who we are in court with to get an order for the government to respect this agreement,” the GPSU President said. 

Meanwhile, GSPU Executive, Vera Norton, explained that in September 2020, the Union submitted its proposals for salaries, wages and allowances for public sector workers to the Government. She said to date, there has been no real push by Irfaan Ali Administration to consider the proposal.

(Svetlana Marshall)

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