Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on Tuesday urged the government to adjust the salaries of all public servants.
During a press conference, Norton congratulated the 2022 University of Guyana graduates.
“We wish you the best and hope that you will remain available to the people of Guyana for the development of Guyana. It is in this context that we wish to urge the Government of Guyana to increase the wages and salaries of all public servants to not only ensure they stay in Guyana but that they can all cope with the cost of living,” Norton said.
At the press conference Opposition Member Roysdale Forde also asked what type of message the government was sending by refusing to increase salaries of those in the public sector the same way they have the health sector.
“Now the teachers will ask themselves, what have we done?” he said.
In November, President Irfaan Ali announced that his government will be paying an across-the-board increase of eight percent to all public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, constitutional office holders, as well as Government pensioners. This increase will be granted retroactively to 1 January 2022.
The unilateral announcement by the President continued the pattern of no collective bargaining with the unions representing the public servants. The President also said that on top of the 8% increase there would be further adjustments to some categories.
On November 24, President Ali announced salary adjustments for members of the Disciplined Services on top of the 8%.
On Monday, Ali announced that effective from January 1, 2023, salaries will be increased significantly for professionals in the health sector with midwives and pharmacists attracting the biggest hikes in a package that will cost $1.5b annually.
“In order to ensure that the public health care system is able to attract talented young professionals, we will be making salary adjustments to several categories of doctors working in the system,” Ali announced in a live broadcast which was streamed on Facebook.
He reiterated that the adjustments to the current minimum salaries are additional to the eight percent across-the-board increase for public servants which was announced last month.
