Two weeks after refusing the government’s “final offer” of a 10% to 1% differentiated increase to public servants, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is still considering its next step.
President of the GPSU Patrick Yarde told Stabroek News yesterday that his union has not yet made an attempt to activate the grievance process as detailed in the agreement with government for the avoidance and settlement of disputes.
Asked if will be seeking either conciliation or arbitration, Yarde noted that it is “to be considered by the Executive Council, which is yet to make a decision on the way forward.”
The agreement specifically states that if the union and ministry, represented by its Permanent Secretary, are unable to settle any grievances, the process shall proceed to the fifth stage of the grievance process, where either party within 14 days refers the matter to the Ministry of Labour for conciliation, failing which the process proceeds to compulsory arbitration.
Even though the government has indicated that it will be paying public servants the increases in their October salaries, the union has made no move beyond agreeing to continue negotiations on non-salary issues.
Last week, acting General Secretary of the union Kemton Alexander had told Stabroek News that the GPSU’s General Council had directed the negotiating team to engage the government through all the stages of the dispute settlement process.
Despite this directive, the Executive Council is still deciding “how we are going to approach it—whether through a request for conciliation or arbitration. For now, we are returning to the negotiating table to address the issue of allowances,” Alexander had said.
Meanwhile, the government has also made no request for conciliation or arbitration.
Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Department Reginald Brotherson, who is leading the government’s negotiating team, told Stabroek News yesterday that government has made its final offer and it has no plans to seek dispute settlement.
He noted that it is for the union to take the next step.
Brotherson had confirmed last week that based on a directive received, his department will be authorising for October the payment of the government’s final offer retroactive to January, 2016. “This payment will be made without prejudice to whatever steps the union next chooses to take,” Brotherson said.
This statement was made on the same day Brotherson received a letter from the union in which he was informed of the GPSU General Council’s unanimous decision to reject the government’s offer.
The government’s offer has been described by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) as “virtually insulting,” while its decision to proceed with the award no matter the union’s position has been described by veteran trade unionist Lincoln Lewis as a “breach of trust… and …evidence of bad faith negotiations.”
