THE 19th Biennial Delegates’ Conference of Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) was declared open, on Wednesday, by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown. The keynote address was given by Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. 
Held under the theme ‘Working together, Fighting as One for Sustainable Workers’ Rights’, the occasion  gathered a large number of rank and file members of the GPSU, who were joined by other key representatives of the trade union fraternity, political parties, the Private Sector and others.
Amongst the distinguished gathering were Minister of Labour, Mr. Manzoor Nadir and Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Mr. David Granger.
The addresses delivered at the opening ceremony critically analysed workers’ rights and working conditions and set the tone for the deliberations by the delegates.             
GPSU President Patrick Yarde, in his speech, listed concerns facing the membership and called on government to pay some attention to them.
Gopaul congratulated the GPSU, now in its 88th year, noting that 88 years in the life of any organisation can be seen as a major accomplishment.
Commenting on the role played by the second oldest union in Guyana, he said it has a history and reputation as an organisation having withstood several periods of transition in this country and is here to last a “‘long, long time.”
Noting that trade union leaders will come and go, Gopaul expressed confidence that the GPSU would remain an institution in this country.
Commending Yarde for his dynamic leadership of GPSU and sterling contribution to trade unionism through the years, Gopaul also recounted the part Yarde played in the struggle to restore democracy within the trade union and the tremendous influence the GPSU had, in the critical days of the late 1980s, both in terms of numbers and influence.
He recalled that, during the period when the GTUC was in crisis, Yarde unwaveringly assisted and supported the restoration of democracy within the
Movement, and alluded him as a formidable leader.    
Recalling that he, himself, as a trade unionist, had worked side by side with Yarde, both dedicatedly, towards representing the rights and working conditions of workers, Gopaul added: “Yarde became a formidable leader, testimony to the fact that he remains with the trade union until today and the union is still one with a major voice in society.
“I can say with pride that we worked together and played some role in making the trade union a strong and respected one.”
Meanwhile, referring to the issues raised by the GPSU President, Gopaul, also a veteran trade unionist, while agreeing that workers will have concerns, some of which will be genuine said that his experience in industrial and labour relations has been that trade unions hardly ever have all their demands satisfied at one time. 

Using the forum to highlight and prioritise what Government has done for the Public Service, Gopaul, using 1988 as the base line, touched on among other things: 

* Wages and benefits:
In 1988, the minimum wage was $11,445 and by 2010, it had moved to $37,903 for persons with one year service or more, representing an increase of $26,458 or 231 per cent in the face of an inflation rate that rose to 80 per cent during the same period, hence there was protection of wages and improvement in real terms.
Other benefits Gopaul credited to the government are:

* New leave entitlements to public servants;

* At the moment more than 9,000 workers are benefiting from tax free leave passage allowance and tax exemptions in addition to other leave benefits and fringes;

* Increased uniform and other allowances;

* Scholarships and training – both locally and overseas which include post-graduate university education free of charge, from which public servants have benefited, and

* Duty-free Concessions.
Currently there are 1,297 positions which attract duty-free concessions and are costing the government some $480M per year and in total some $4.5 billion.
Gopaul admitted that much more could be done to improve the lot of the public servants and efforts are being made towards realizing this.
Earlier Prime Minister Samuel Hinds noted Yarde’s statement that public servants  ‘keep the wheels of the country running and that brings with it a certain measure of responsibility. Therefore, for GPSU to keep the government and country running well, they will have to be considered as part of the equation, and recognise that much devolves on them and approach what they do with seriousness.
And reminding that the upcoming national elections are due before year end, he cautioned them to be prepared and ever vigilant, since ‘national elections are serious business’.