Dear Editor,
With much fanfare, an arbitrary increase of 7% retroactive was announced for public servants, teachers and constitutional workers. This came after months of promises to these workers that they will be having an increase in salary before this Covid-19 tragic 2021 year came to an end. Many expected a 10% and above increase since it has been over two years since public servants, teachers and constitutional workers received any salary increases. Ministers of Government soon took to social media to aggressively defend this decision, claiming all manner of relief measures that these categories of workers supposedly benefited from, attempting to polish off this taxable 7% as the proverbial ‘icing on the cake’. Well, my dear Government, have you stopped to consider that you might be feeding us gluten free cake, when all we want is a rich chocolate cake? But, I digress. I wish to elucidate the disturbing manner in which the increase was given.
Firstly, there was no collective bargaining with the various unions which represents these workers. There were no consultations with these workers as to what they would want as an increase in salary. These sort of decisions may very well cause a large section of the voting populace to reminisce over the not so distant past when the PPP had become rather complacent and was prone to high-handed ‘take it or leave it decisions.’ Secondly, while some of us are informed enough to be aware of the economic repercussions of increased spending on the forces of demand and supply which can further drive up inflation, is the Government so bubble wrapped that they fail to realise that the other policies aimed at relieving the burden of rapidly rising prices are not trickling down to the ordinary man? I daresay any minister can enter a supermarket right now and check if the recently touted relief on taxes for importing containers has had any effect whatsoever on the highly inflated prices for basic food necessities. So, while the economists behind this 7% may think that we will use it to further drive up demand, the fact is, it cannot even cushion us to purchase the same amount of groceries we needed pre-pandemic. Groceries have skyrocketed, construction materials have skyrocketed and even the bills are going up. But what hasn’t been going up? People’s salary! Think of those single parents with two to three kids, earning a minimum wage of $70,000 GYD a month having to support these kids, pay bills (water, light, internet etc.), shop groceries and maintain a home for an entire month with an average net salary of $65,000. Think of it using an average of how much each of the things listed above would cost and ask yourself, “is $65000 be enough to support this family of three or four?” It gets worse when an even larger family is involved. Things are HARD!!!!
I started writing this letter the day after the announcement, but took a pause to really listen to various opinions. PEOPLE ARE DISAPPOINTED and DISILLUSIONED. Yes, PPP/C supporters exist among public servants!!! We are ashamed!!!! Has the PPP/C not realised that sugar workers alone cannot catapult them into government?? Has post 2011 taught you nothing?? My dear party, you are in serious danger of losing the inroads made in the public sector populace again!! LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE! Stop brushing aside our concerns, thinking you know better. It has not served you well in the past and it will certainly not serve you well again. People need immediate relief… that is the reality! You cannot make grand claims of democracy and caring for people when you refuse to give them the respect of including them in decisions for their own welfare. It has been enough time for you to realise that 7% is simply not enough. Now is not the time to dig in your heels, now is the time to show how you really care! The GTU had made a very reasonable request! The GPSU should be consulted! Listen! Show the people that you are not against public servants, and that the ‘take it or leave it’ PPP leadership style is a thing of the past! Your policies should not only be good in your eyes, it must be good in the eyes of the people, otherwise my dear party, I say it again… history will repeat itself!!!
Sincerely,
Concerned Public Servant
