Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag yesterday chided former Finance Minister Carl Greenidge and GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald for making what she termed “disillusioned and unconscionably misleading” statements concerning her government’s plan for civil servants.
“It is an undeniable fact that the hardworking people of Guyana deserve better. Not just better salaries, but increased and improved access to opportunities such as housing, academic advancements, et cetera. That will elevate their standard of living. Opportunities much like the ones being created today by the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic government”, Parag said.
She said that the article in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, titled `Workers in Guyana deserve better pay,’ simply printed blatant and biased utterances without any comparison to current facts, or at least affording the government a response, which she described as “totally disappointing.”
In the article, Greenidge had challenged policymakers to revisit Guyana’s current labour system as he posited that there should be equilibrium in wages and salaries in both public and private sectors.
The seasoned politician who served as Guyana’s Finance Minister from 1983-1992 under PNC administrations, made these remarks on Wednesday during day one of the Guyana Trades Union Congress 5th Triennial Delegates Conference under the theme “Advancing the Workers’ Struggle, for Social & Economic Justice”.
McDonald, who also attended the delegates’ conference took the government to task for its attitude to the trade union and public servants.
She accused the current administration of being “evasive” on the subject of the collective bargaining agreement which speaks to better working conditions, salaries and wages for public servants. Parag was silent on that accusation. Her government has not held collective bargaining with the public service and teachers unions for more than three years.
Both McDonald and Greenidge criticised the government for allowing foreign companies to treat local employees unfairly as it has been observed that there are disparities in wages and salaries between foreign and local nationals.
The Public Service minister in her statement said “Foremost, it is most obvious that the emergence of our country’s thriving oil and gas sector will attract foreigners, whether companies, refugees or skilled workers. This is neither unique to Guyana nor the PPP/C administration.”
Only anomaly
“The only anomaly now is that the Dr. Irfaan Ali-led government has compiled and enacted the groundbreaking Local Content legislation which mandates the prioritization of Guyanese workers and entities.” Parag declared.
She continued, “According to the Stabroek News article, Mr. Greenidge pointed to the existence of `economic injustices which sees foreign nationals earning more than their Guyanese counterparts.
“I am sure that a learned man like Mr. Greenidge would know that the PPP/C government has specified under the Local Content law that Guyanese who possess the same skills and competencies as their foreign counterparts must be paid equally. We have made sure that doing otherwise is punishable by law.
“So, if Mr. Greenidge’s claims are factual, it is my genuine hope that he will allow good sense to prevail and report these breaches with haste, especially since it is claimed that ‘the incomes and lives of Guyanese who object are being threatened.’”
The Public Service minister added “Mr. Greenidge remarked that Guyana must pay keen attention to ‘sustaining an equitable financial strategy that can benefit the working class.’ I am sure that being a Former PNC Minister of Finance, Mr. Greenidge can appreciate the fact that the PPP/C Government is doing just that.
“Our incremental approach to salary increases is not only sustainable, but strategically balanced with the issuance of billions of dollars’ worth of cash grants that every single Guyanese has benefitted from in one way or another.
She also took the previous government to task for its inaction. “For years, there has been the complaint that public servants are pursuing greener pastures in the private sector, and while the APNU+AFC and its associates barefacedly continue to lament on this, it must be clarified that their government did nothing to rectify the situation.
“When the PPP/C assumed office, work started in this direction, and today, public servants are making better wages and salaries at certain levels than the private sector. For example, the salary of a police constable is not on par with that of a bank teller.
“So, when this government talks about improving the lives of our public servants, it is accompanied by actions and tangible results”, she said.
Parag also highlighted her government’s efforts to improve the quality of life for all Guyanese. “Added to that, Guyanese from all walks of life, in and out of the public sector, now have the opportunity, like never before, to prioritise and pursue various levels of academic advancement (from certificates all the way to PhDs), nurture skills, and build capacity, without having to budget their earnings for it. We are doing that.
“Under the 20,000 Online Scholarships Programme, we have surpassed our promises and delivered with flying colours. Even Mr. Greenidge’s colleagues who continue to criticise the government have benefitted and will continue to benefit with fairness”, she stated.
She also spoke of the PPP/C’s success in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to the APNU+AFC’s other ‘pursuits’ while describing their remarks as “unrivalled audacity.” “Mr. Greenidge also alluded to COVID-19 and the rising cost of living, but in all his portrayal of sheer doom and gloom, Mr. Greenidge failed to mention that Guyana is one of the few countries that managed to stay in the green during the pandemic, due to the swift, comprehensive and strategic actions of this government.
In addition to providing a series of tax incentives and issuing the $25,000 cash grant for every household, Guyana was one of the few countries in the world that managed to secure sufficient supplies of COVID-19 vaccines for our people. The very vaccines that APNU+AFC Members were immunized with, but insisted that Guyanese not take, because ‘the Government was providing them with unsafe vaccines.’”
Parag called out both McDonald and Greenidge for being unaware of the measures being adopted by the government to address the labour issue and raise the standard of living of Guyanese. “Further, Mr. Greenidge called for government to address remuneration disparities in the workforce and revisit the country’s labour laws, apparently oblivious, or perhaps maliciously omitting the well-publicized fact that government has already embarked on such efforts.
“Meanwhile, the article continued with Ms. McDonald accusing the government of not delivering on its promises. Perhaps Ms. McDonald can first be encouraged to research what the government’s promises were, and then make the comparative analysis.
“While I am confident that the majority of Guyanese are aware and even appreciative of the pace with which government has been working to build this nation and address the issues facing its people, misleading statements of this nature must not be left to roam in the public domain, lest it be confusing to our future history”, Parag added.
