President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Patrick Yarde on Monday, during a Press Conference, held at the Union’s Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown location, was livid as he related his frustrations to the media over what he said was the APNU/AFC Government’s unfulfilled promises to the public servants for increased wages and salaries, among other failed promises.
The Union Head said, “When one hears of an early 2019 budget and this is what was significantly provoking, you giving publicity of a 2019 budget and things you promised in the 2015 budget you haven’t even addressed. This is so baffling. I want to know if is I am going crazy! Cause I am trying to understand it…we haven’t even commenced salary negotiations 2018”.
He questioned, “Is it that we’re idiots or isn’t there someone on the other side who could recognize that this thing is out of sequence and should be corrected?”
Yarde informed that there are a series of commitments which were made by the government which is yet to be addressed and related, “They sent us a terms of reference over a year ago for a Committee to look at this thing and we make sure that we…sent back the terms of reference and we said we accept it without a change and over a year ago a terms of reference for a Committee (and) the Committee can’t meet!”
The head of the Union even accused the government of providing only ‘lip service’ as its promises remain unfilled and has left public servants unattended.
He noted that he understands that the coalition government had inherited some ‘baggage’ from the previous administration but nevertheless believes that the time has come to end the sufferings of public servants.
“Leaving aside the assorted baggage inherited from its predecessor the PPP/C regime, it is the considered opinion of the GPSU that the incumbent political administration has been considerably inattentive to addressing the plight of public servants so that apart from failing to alleviate the material suffering of its own workers the government has, it would appear, been unmindful of the nexus between a suitably equipped and motivated public service and the efficiency and effectiveness of its own administration”.
Yarde also pointed out that since the government ascended to office it, “has been, in large measure, a one-sided encounter in which the Administration appears to have been deaf to the appeals of the Union”.
The GPSU’s president sought to highlight that the present situation has enormous effects on the workers and as such should be given ‘positive attention’.
Yarde said that President David Granger usually speaks of the good life and so he is calling on him and his cabinet members to address these burning issues.
He added, “We dare the government to challenge anything that we have stated here”.
The public servants’ representative related that they have been quiet for far too long and it has reached to a point of considerable frustration.
