Declaring that frontline health workers are awaiting a well-negotiated retroactive payout of risk allowances, the GPSU yesterday lambasted as “meagre” government’s announcement on Tuesday of a two-week, tax free payout to all health personnel.
In a statement, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said that the “nation’s most valuable human resources have once again been handed the proverbial slap in the face by Government through its arbitrary announcement of a two-week tax free bonus”.
The union noted that healthcare workers have been agitating for risk allowances to help them manage COVID-19 related needs from the onset of the pandemic early in the year 2020.
“The Government while agreeing that such an allowance was deserving, has skirted all possibilities of making a payout, even though being fully aware that their actions contributed to legitimate expectations of healthcare workers. To finally entrench itself as the uncaring and unconscionable Government that it was suspected to be, (it has) now foisted upon the struggling healthcare workers a pittance in (the) form of a one-off two-week tax free bonus at this time when those workers were at the forefront of the battle of the deadly pandemic for almost two years”, the GPSU stated.
The union said that it “totally disagrees (with) and strongly condemns the imposition of the meagre bonus to the nation’s healthcare workers, who have patiently awaited a well-negotiated retro-active payout of risk allowances”.
It said that the approach by President Irfaan Ali and his administration in making such announcement during a festive season is insulting and disrespectful to the workers. The union also said that the President’s announcement was not comprehensive as categories of frontline workers, such as Guyana Revenue Authority staffers and other similar workers were omitted.
The union said that some of the health workers were unlawfully denied access to perform their duties over their decision not to be vaccinated.
“In this regard, these objecting healthcare staffers were forced to pay for COVID tests from their meagre salaries, while not being paid monthly risk allowances and being denied recognition for their yeoman service to the nation over the stringent tests of the pandemic”, the union added.
