[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Progressive Youth Organization (PYO) – the youth arm of the ruling Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) – says it is disappointed with the stance taken by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) in relation to the five percent salary increase offered to public servants by Government.
The GPSU has written to the Commissioner of Police seeking permission to commence mass daily protest in Georgetown beginning Friday, December 20 until the end of the year.
In the face of this application, the PYO has come out in condemnation stating that such calls by the GPSU are reckless and will only cause destabilization.
The PYO in a release on Tuesday (December 17) expressed the view that such a move will have the long term negative effects that can undermine the livelihoods of the workers the union represents.
“It is very easy to take a populist stance on issues like increasing salaries; however, the PYO condemns such posturing when it is economically irresponsible and not viable,” the statement added.
The grouping said “given this development one is forced to ask where the GPSU was when their opposition allies blocked the development of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project … where was the GPSU when the opposition stopped the development of the specialty hospital.”
The PYO accused the GPSU, saying it is no secret that it has a long history of working closely with the opposition and believes that the same collaboration from the past is brewing again.
The PYO says there appears to be re-emergence of a joint strategy to stymie and outright sabotage development in Guyana, adding that together (the union and opposition) are delaying the implementation of work programs and projects across Government Agencies.
“The GPSU has shown its hand in colluding with the opposition in order to bring a halt to Government’s work. We have been down this road before. Demanding an increase in salaries while not working for expansion of the economy will result in inflation that will nullify those salary increases,” the PYO believes.
The grouping of youths contends that higher salary increases will require cuts in spending, cuts that a developing economy cannot afford, especially with the current economic climate.
The body in turn called on the union to re-examine the economic realities that exist in Guyana.
