GOVERNMENT has, through Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, declared that it “meant no disrespect” to the unions representing public servants when it neglected to consult them on the end-of-year bonus decided for public servants.Minister Trotman made this statement yesterday at a post-Cabinet press briefing when he noted that time constraints would probably have delayed the process, which needed to be initiated almost immediately if workers were to benefit.
At issue was the $50,000 tax free bonus announced earlier in the week for all public servants who currently earn less than $500,000 per month. However, while this move was lauded by a large faction of civil society, and even the opposition, the Guyana Public Service Union and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) have expressed dissatisfaction because the government has not consulted with them on this issue.
In a statement, the GTUC noted that government acted in contravention of the labour laws. The union said, “The payment of this bonus in the absence of an engagement and concurrence with the trade unions that represent public sector workers is another act of violating Article 147 of the Guyana Constitution and Trade Union Recognition Law, Section 23 (1) and transgressing the rights of workers.”
Trotman is, however, of an opposing view. He thinks the law has not been breached, and reasons that if Government had taken the route the unions had expected – government consulting with them first – it is unlikely that the workers would have gotten their bonuses in time for the holidays.
“We have Christmas coming, and there is every likelihood that next week would be a shortened week. Any protracted deliberations on whether or not public servants should be given their $50,000, I rather suspect, would have resulted in them getting the bonus in 2016. I think government took a decision that it thought was in the best interest of the workers by going out to pay them, and it meant no disrespect to the unions,” the Minister told reporters yesterday.