President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Patrick Yarde said that after months of futile wage negotiations, the union is willing to accept a 9 percent interim payout from Government and said it is giving President Donald Ramotar a chance to reach out otherwise the workers will resort to industrial action.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Yarde said that at the latest meeting between the Government and the Union on wages and other conditions on Monday, November 12, 2012, the Public Service Ministry put nothing on the table.
He said that if the Government does not come forward with positive wage talks then the union will direct its workers to take industrial action to make their demands known.
Yarde had earlier expressed to this newspaper his dismay that Government was not acting in good faith in the negotiations for wage increases of 25 percent and other conditions for public servants and wanted firm commitments from Government for serious discussions on the proposals made since 2009.
In recent correspondence sent by the Union to the Public Service Ministry, Yarde expressed dissatisfaction at the way in which he said the Ministry treated cavalierly the discussions regarding wage and salary increases, some of which have been stagnant for years.
“The invitation to a meeting on Monday November 12, 2012 to discuss the Union’s proposal for 2012 was discussed during the verbal communication between yourself and Ms Patricia Went, Principal Industrial Relations Officer of the Union and I hereby confirm that the Union’s delegation would be present at the meeting…at the appointed time,” Yarde said in the letter.
He had said he expected the meeting would be dealing with the laying of Government’s counter-proposals to the Union’s proposals that would comprehensively address wages, salaries, allowances and other matters raised in the Union’s proposal; receiving a commitment of good faith during the expediting of the process and expediting this process within the context of the proposal and in the best interest of the workers, considering the context of the economic situation of the country and socio-economic needs of the workers.
Also among the GPSU’s proposals are the upping of the tax threshold to $100,000 per month; the reduction of the income tax rate from 33.3 percent to 20 percent; a non-taxable allowance for dependants in the amount of $40,000 per month; a non-taxable allowance of $75,000 per month for students who are dependants and are pursuing higher education; the reduction of VAT to 10 percent.
The GPSU said that the travelling allowance was last increased in 1995; subsistence allowance in 1995; uniform allowance in 2001, meal allowance in 1996; and housing allowance in 2009.
Yarde expressed surprise and dismay that while the Union is trying to get the Government to discuss issues germane to the welfare of workers, the Permanent Secretary is making an issue out of the fact that documents that the Union copied to him were accompanied by an undated compliment slip. Yarde sees this as yet another method of slowing the process to a frustrating grind.
“I must put on record that as a courtesy the Union forwarded to you at your request another copy of the proposals that we submitted vide letter on September 24, 2009 … because of your apparent inability to locate the original at your ministry,” said Yarde in the correspondence to the ministry.
“May I also remind you that at the meeting of August 7, 2012 the Union clearly indicated its disappointment at not being presented with a counter proposal,” he said, adding that a promise by the Ministry to meet with the Union seems to have been made in bad faith.
“After examining the events that have led to what I construe to be a useless engagement over more than ten months, I am constrained to urge that the shameful tactics be set aside and the matter before us be treated with the urgency it deserves, that is, expeditiously,” said Yarde.
