Dear Editor,
Last week, the anniversary of my employment in the public service passed. In many other countries, your 9th Anniversary would bring some sort of joy or positive feelings, but for me, and likely many of us in Guyana, this just brings us dread. Why you may ask? It is like being treated like unwanted step children in the place where you give so much dedication to.
Can you imagine improving your qualifications but not even getting a raise of pay on completion of your degree? Monitoring of schools and advising teachers and HMs of Ministry’s rules and practices and getting less pay than they per month? The unfairness in the Public Service is too much to mention. Yes, I know teachers have their struggles but I am not a teacher so I cannot speak for them. But I want to ask President Ali, Vice President Jagdeo and Minister of Public Service, Minister Parag, especially Minis-ter Parag if they can live on the salaries they pay us? I very much doubt so.
Why is it that the Minister of Public Service seemed to be doing mostly party work, meeting with everyone except the GPSU, the union appointed to represent us, by law I might add? What is so hard about meeting the union? Is it because of politics? Isn’t that a childish excuse for not meeting them? What is ‘One Guyana’ if you cannot work with people who disagree with your opinions? Is ‘One Guyana’ not open to compromises? Is this the message we want to send to the future of our Guyana?
To be frank, as a Public Servant, I am disappointed with this arbitrary imposition of an increase. At the very least, incentivize the Public Service. But the failure regarding the appointment of the Public Service Commission is glaring. I am pleading for the minister to say what exactly is planned for the Public Service. Don’t bring basic things like professionalized public service. If that is truly wanted, tightening the noose on the square pegs in round holes in the public service would ensure we are incentivized, making our work better. Pay us enough so that a struggling mother wouldn’t have to consider taking a bribe or additional work outside of the public service to make ends meet.
This 8% is disgraceful and anyone who thinks we should learn to spend better needs to get a grip of themselves. The Public Service deserves better than this and if the union were to call a strike, I hope many will be out to fight for our right! No more pushovers, people! Everyone from the MPs to the President have a nice bonus! We deserve better, too! Let us stage a strike and then we will see which of their lackey’s can replace us by themselves.
The sacrifices we make are not deemed worthy! All it is, is to make them look good. I hope that this letter can resonate with the good people of the Public Service. We must fight for our betterment because the PPP and the APNU will never give us, no matter how they use us!
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)
