By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – During the consideration of funding for Presidential Advisory (Cabinet and other services) as allocated in the National 2014 Budget, it became public knowledge that Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira is the highest paid contracted employee at the Office of the President.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill in responding to questions from the Opposition benches informed the House that Teixeira earns over $1M monthly.
Second to her is Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon, who is reported to be earning over $983,000 monthly.
There are some 137 contracted employees attached to the Office of the President under the heading: Presidential Advisory (Cabinet and other services) while under administrative services, which funding was disapproved earlier, has some 37 contracted employees where another $53M was allocated.
Despite much scrutiny into the monies allocated for Presidential Advisory (Cabinet and other services) the funding was approved in the House.
The opposition coalition- A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) – had pre warned the government that monies allocated to pay contracted employees will come under intense scrutiny, as the consideration of the 2014 budget estimates continue.
Opposition Leader, David Granger told reporters on Friday, April 11 that his Party will be looking to ensure that persons who are paid as contracted employees under the public sector are actually making a contribution to public administration.
In 2012, the combined opposition voted to cut $150M from the Office of the President proposed budgetary allocations for contracted employees. In 2013 however, contracted employees escaped cuts.
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), which is closely aligned to the APNU, had said that it was opposed to contracts being awarded to persons against positions that exist on the permanent pensionable establishment of the public service, as it renewed call for scrapping this form of employment.
The GPSU said too that it is opposed to the discrimination in pay, which results from the personalized manner contract employment is implemented.
