The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is adamant that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo ignorantly spoke of matters relating to trade unions when he posited that they were making unrealistic demands and politically aligned to the opposition.
This is according to a press release from the union in response to an article published by Demerara Waves on November 9, under the caption “Govt reluctant to negotiate unrealistic wage demands with opposition-aligned trade unions – Jagdeo”.
The release said Jagdeo’s statements were tantamount to excuses for his government’s known breaches of the Constitution and Laws of Guyana.
According to the Demerara Waves, Jagdeo had said at a press conference, “When you look at it, they make some outrageous demands: ‘Oh, we want a hundred percent increase, we want 50 percent increase. In the whole period under APNU, they didn’t get that and they’re arguing for a 50 percent increase now”.
The Vice President also accused Guy-ana Teachers Union General Secretary Coretta Mc Donald of trying to “politicize and weaponize the GTU to being pro-APNU and to push APNU’s demand.”
He claimed that Mc Donald had gone to him when he was Opposition Leader, trying to get him to speak up on a number of issues because APNU was not meeting with the union at the time it was in power.
According to the Demerara Waves article, Jagdeo also accused General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress Lincoln Lewis of being a “rabid anti-PPP person, as the TUC has been converted into that.”
He also claimed that the leadership of these unions were politically aligned to A Partnership for National Unity and People’s National Congress Reform.
However, the public service union posited that this was a nonsensical excuse for the government’s failure to conform to the requirements of the Constitution and Laws of Guyana that require collective bargaining between employers and trade unions. It noted that the government’s role in upholding these legal requirements was not at its whim and fancy, but rather as prescribed in the statutes.
“So, for the Vice President to say that there is reluctance is more of an admission of a deliberate non-conformity to the Constitution and Laws of Guyana and the manifestation of the consummate prejudice for the GPSU and public service workers,” the statement read. “In fact, his utterance can be summed up as total disrespect and contempt…”
The GPSU made it clear that it was neither the Vice President’s call, nor that of the government, to determine what rights would be allowed or denied to workers. According to the union the laws basically ascribe these rights, and governments, as servants of the people must comply, as they are normally forsworn to do.
The GPSU opined that Jagdeo accorded himself the status of judge and jury, thereby determining what trade unions were opposition aligned and this was pathetic. “It seems that independent trade unions, which seek to secure the rights of workers without fear or favour, are accorded the status of being opposition aligned. Such a puerile analogy, from a person elected to serve the people, is most discomforting and disheartening,” the release said.
“In fact, one can also note the irrational thinking of the Vice President when he represents to the nation, government’s reluctance to negotiate unrealistic demands, when in fact trade unions have not been allowed to properly defend their proposals or are availed with any counter-proposals from the government.”
The GPSU opined that he should deal directly with the facts of the matter rather than add political propaganda narratives to the procedures dictated by the law.
“Further, if some trade unions decide that they want to be politically aligned, that is an inalienable right and it is not for governments to consider such decisions as bases supporting whether to negotiate or not,” the GPSU said.
The release said that the government, as an employer, must obey the law, and the law dictates collective bargaining as it relates to wage demands, whether unrealistic or not.
“If it is the government’s perception that demands made by trade unions are unrealistic, then it behooves them to produce the necessary evidence to show that those demands are unrealistic and take it from there, rather than to make unsubstantiated statements, without empirical evidence,” it stated.
“The whole process of negotiation enables realistic solutions to demands made by trade unions and the government is deliberately avoiding this lawful process. The words purportedly uttered by the Vice President attributes to him a certain level of incompetence and ignorance of the statutory processes.
“Moreover, the proposals submitted by the unions are not only considered reasonable and merited, but also affordable. It is the government that continues to impose grossly inadequate salaries, wages and allowances that continue to result in employees being relegated to the status of employed poor.
“Then in the pretence of care, the government would throw miniscule relief to workers at the end of each year. Government’s posture is always in opposition to meaningful proposals made from the GPSU and trade unions generally, while being insensitive towards the needs of workers.
“… The announcement made by the President occurred approximately ten months after the Parliament approved the related $5 billion relief package. The President having allowed that significant lapse in time has shown his lack of concern for the obviously impoverished working class, who were made to suffer through the astronomical increases in the cost of living over a prolonged period while he and his party engaged in political grandstanding.”
Bonuses
President Irfaan Ali last week announced a $25,000 one-off bonus for 67,000 public sector workers at a cost of $1.7 billion to be paid next month. This includes public servants, the disciplined services, teachers, nurses, sugar workers and employees of semi-autonomous agencies.
In a Facebook post, he also stated that an across-the-board salary increase will be announced for teachers and public servants shortly. There have been no negotiations between the government and the unions representing teachers and public servants.
In addition, 72,000 old-age pensioners will also benefit from the one-off $25,000 bonus payable in December at a cost of $1.8 billion. Meanwhile, 19,000 disabled people on the public assistance register will get a $35,000 one-off bonus to be paid in December, totalling $660 million.
Community Infrastructure Improvement Programme workers — 2,000 in total – will see their salary go to $40,000 per month effective from January 1st, 2023.
As regards the teaching profession, 4,000 graduate teachers will be moved to the maximum of the scale applicable to the post that they currently occupy, at an extra annual cost of $1 billion. Those who also have a bachelor’s degree will receive a monthly education allowance of $10,000. Those with master’s degrees will get a $20,000 monthly allowance and those with doctorates, a monthly allowance of $30,000.
The remote area incentive for teachers will now be $20,000 per month from December 1, 2023.
He also said that all teachers who hold the substantive position of senior master/mistress or above who are within three years of retirement and have not previously had a duty-free concession for a car will be eligible to receive a duty-free concession for a motor vehicle up to 1500 cc.
The adjustments for teachers were developed following a meeting that was held at State House between the President, senior educators and others.
