…President holds talks with GPSU top brass

PRESIDENT David Granger on Thursday convened a meeting with executive members of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to discuss the establishment of a High-Level Committee on the Public Service.

The GPSU’s side was led by its President Patrick Yarde, while the government’s side was led by President Granger and included the Minister of State, Mrs. Dawn Hastings- Williams; Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams; Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan; Minister of Public Service, Mrs. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley; Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ally and Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Mr. Joseph Harmon.

President Granger said the meeting is a demonstration of government’s commitment to engage the GPSU in an effort to ensure that workers in the public service can earn a livable wage, enjoy better working conditions and benefit from training. At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed to have the committee formed by June 1, 2019. It is expected that the committee will meet and address a plethora of issues and formulate a report, which would be taken to Cabinet.

President Granger has, in the past, said the government will make all the necessary investments to ensure an efficient and reliable public service is built. According to the President, the public service cannot be disassociated from the concept of public trust and must comprise men and women of intelligence, integrity and impartiality, if it is to enjoy public trust and achieve its administrative objectives. He has also noted that the

administration is serious about implementing reforms that will create “a brand new public service”, one which is characterised by fairness, equality, responsiveness, reliability and efficiency and it is for this reason a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service was launched in 2016. Some recommendations from the CoI are already being implemented by the government and are geared towards improving working conditions and other factors which influence the work of public servants. (Ministry of the Presidency)