President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Patrick Yarde is again calling on President Donald Ramotar to appoint the long overdue constitutionally established Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT).
The PSAT has been non-functional since the resignation in 2004 of the government’s nominee on the tribunal, the late George Fung-On, the union said in a press release. This had prompted the GPSU to write the president on this issue on September 12, 2013.
Its most recent letter on the issue, dated November 3, was only met with an acknowledgement from the Office of the President, Yarde said. “There has been no positive or conclusive response,” the union said.
The absence of the PSAT has left a significant void; causing public officers to be denied their right to have grievances with the decisions of the Public Service Commission redressed other than through the High Court. “This in essence, is also a breach of the provisions of the Constitution of Guyana, which are intended for their protection,” he said.
The GPSU also pointed out that it was at its insistence that the PSAT was established in 1984. Further, it is concerned that public workers who fall under the purview of the Tribunal, the Union and the entire citizenry have been treated disrespectfully in that they have not been extended the courtesy of an explanation for the failure to establish and/or reactivate this crucial constitutional tribunal for more than 10 years.
The union’s doubts, regarding the claims by government to working class credentials, have been repeatedly conveyed to this administration, given the spate of evidence to support its unconcerned and non-responsive attitude to the rights and needs of workers. The GPSU is also of the firm view that there is an orchestrated plan within government to obstruct the appointment of the PSAT so that they could freely and uninterruptedly proceed with the politicising of the public service and trample the rights of workers. Such conduct conflicts with the provisions of the Constitution of Guyana and compromises the efficiency and effectiveness of public servants who exist to provide quality public service in the public’s interest.
The GPSU is therefore requesting that the president who has sworn to uphold the Constitution, initiate urgent measures to correct this state of affairs. The union believes that if this is done public servants would be assured of some measure of justice and security tenure. “Such an action would also be a move in the right direction for a Government that currently has as its hallmark a consistent record of trampling the rule of law and to some extent, the principles of democracy in Guyana,” the union said.
