The Bursary’s Office at the University of Guyana was the scene of a protest action by staffers of the University and Members of the University of Guyana Workers Union on Thursday as staffers learnt of another delay in their salaries being paid.
The staffers were told that their June salaries which should have been paid before the end of this week, will not be available until next Tuesday. In a letter to the staff members, Personnel Officer Jeffrey Walcott said the late payment of salaries is due to “an inadequate subvention”.
On Thursday afternoon, the UG staffers carried placards to the Bursary Office, protesting the late payments. One placard read “Here lies UG, Born 1963, Died: Yesterday, R.I.P”
President of the Workers Union, Khemraj Narine told staffers in an email that the Union was given assurance that they would have been paid on Thursday, June 20. His letter added that “again the University administration has failed us, they treat us with great disrespect.”
The University’s wage bill is pegged at millions of dollars. The University gets an annual subvention from the government. This year government subvention was $67 million, $13 million more than the profit-making, state-owned National Communications Network.
The University of Guyana is asking for an additional $130 million.
UG still owes the National Insurance Scheme, the Guyana Revenue Authority and the UG Pension Scheme. Those debts are totalled at some $250 million. The University was a scene of a sit in last month when staffers were not paid their salaries on time.
The new Vice Chancellor at the University has already expressed his frustration with the financial situation.
(Filed: 20th July 2013)
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