The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is again urging government to increase the travelling allowances of public servants whose jobs require them to travel in the light of steep hikes in the price of petrol and the cost of maintaining motor vehicles.
In a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo dated yesterday, GPSU President Patrick Yarde said the union viewed the government’s stance as unconscionable and uncaring since it was paying these public servants allowances at rates approved since January 1995 when the price of petrol was less then $200 a gallon.
Yarde’s letter, which this newspaper has seen, drew attention to the fact that the 1999 Armstrong Tribunal had awarded 31.01% and 26.66% for all allowances, including travel for 1999 and 2000 respectively.
Government has never honoured that part of the award. It noted too that apart from calling on government to honour the award, the GPSU has been making annual representation since 2000 for improvements in all allowances.
GPSU said government’s insensitivity to these “merited” claims was a matter of great concern. It noted that it was common knowledge that the current price of petrol averaged around $1,000 a gallon.
Yarde said the fact that the government remained unmoved in the light of this was in effect the imposition of a penalty on public servants, since it meant that they had to subsidize the expenses they incurred in the discharge of their duties.
He said the union saw this as demoralizing to public servants and having a negative impact on their economic circumstances and urged that it be remedied as a matter of urgency.
The union surveyed petrol stations yesterday and found that the cost per gallon ranged from $980 to $1,061. Meanwhile, public servants whose jobs require them to travel are paid allowances ranging from $5,109 per month, plus $19.09 per mile on the lower scale to $9,096 per month plus a $20.91 per mile on the upper scale. These rates have been in effect since January 1995.
