MINISTER of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, yesterday, provided the National Assembly with a breakdown of the expenditure related to the approved five per cent increase in wages and salaries for public servants.

He gave the details in written response to a question on the payment by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentarian Basil Williams.
Williams had asked the minister to provide the House with the particulars and specific amounts, utilised in relation to the increase in wages and salaries, new employment and promotions component under the $4.4B allocated in the 2013 Budget for ‘Revision of Wages and Salaries’.

Dr. Singh explained that some $1.6B was used for payment of the five per cent increase in wages and salaries, $1.3B went to employment costs shortfalls arising from new recruits and $.03B employment costs shortfalls arising from promotions.
He added that $0.5B covered the one month bonus to the ranks in the Disciplined Services.
According to him, another $0.7B was for the payment of employment cost shortfalls at subvention agencies and $0.1B to employment cost shortfalls from the payment of salaries in lieu of leave and like expenditures.
The Finance Minister pointed out that some agencies met part of the five per cent hike in wages and salaries from their provisions that were already voted on in the 2013 Budget.
Last year public servants received a five per cent increase, which they deemed insufficient, giving rise to protest actions by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) that fizzled.

(By Vanessa Narine)