By Ariana Gordon

ACTING President Moses Nagamootoo appealed to public servants and their respective trade unions, gathered on Sunday at the National Park following a historic united march by the trade union movements in Guyana, to be patient as Government awaits the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service.He assured that Government would fulfill its promise of salary increases this year, but must wait the report of the CoI.

Nagamootoo then announced that $43.8 billion have been set aside for the current wages and salaries for 2016, while another $6.6 billion have been allocated for benefits and allowances for public servants.

“I will not discredit the Commission that is called the ‘[Harold] Lutchman Commission’ — that is trying to complete the stratification and adjustment to the Public Service with regards to wages… All I can say is this: After that report is received, we will — in fact we shall — be dealing with the labour unions,” he told the expectant public service workers.

The acting President said an increase in wages and salaries is but one aspect of the plan Government has for public servants. He noted that “man shall not live by bread alone”.

The APNU-AFC Administration had promised public servants an increase in salaries, and has even made specific reference to the need for members of the disciplined services to have an increase in salaries.

President David Granger has said on more than one occasion that members of the disciplined forces ought to be properly compensated to prevent incidents of bribery, which hamper their respective roles.

COMMITTED
“This Government is committed to pay salary increase for 2016 this year, after the submission of that report,” the Acting President stressed, noting that instead of a one-off payment, Government is looking towards having a “long-range arrangement that goes beyond wages and salaries”.

He said the long-term arrangement should involve land, housing, health and recreation.

“You need to be treated as human beings, and I feel that we should have an arrangement that does not only deal with salaries and wages, but we should return to merit awards,” he disclosed.

He called on all public servants to be professional in the execution of their duties, so that respect could be restored to the Public Service.

The acting President was quick to point out that, though not in office a full year yet, the Government has been able to make significant changes to the Public Service, which have brought benefits to public servants across the board.

“On top of a modest wage increase, there was a sincere attempt to give a top up of $5000; a sincere move from a Government that had come in for only five months. It has attempted to address the immediate concerns of workers,” he said.

Nagamootoo pointed out that the minimum wage has been increased, and the Income Tax threshold has also been increased from $600,000 to $660,000.

“68,000 workers didn’t have to pay tax, and that was important that you know that it is not only wages and salaries that ought to be hammered, but those concessions that must be given to working people to make life more comfortable,” he stressed.

CONTROL FREAKISM
The Acting President noted that the former administration, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), had exercised what he termed “control freakism” while in office, and had offered public servants only “five per cent, five per cent, five percent”.

“Five per cent was the answer for the destruction of collective bargaining,” he contended, while informing the gathering that the APNU-AFC coalition government will not undermine the collective bargaining process.

Nagamootoo also said that last year’s May Day Rally had seen President David Granger and himself marching with public servants, but that rally ended up at two separate venues.

“It was our version of labour apartheid. Today, there is apparent reconciliation, but there still remains two factions though we have one march,” Nagamootoo said.

He called on the trade union movement to begin the healing process, and stressed that in a quest for power, persons should not campaign to mobilise one ethnic group in the country.

“No more must we divide our working people in accordance with ethnicity, because of the craving for power,” the Acting President admonished.

He assured the gathering that they “have friends in the Government”.

“You are our allies and partners,” said Nagamootoo, as he informed them that labour forms an important part in Government’s model of industrial, trade union, and participatory democracy, as is instructed by the Constitution.”

WALES
Addressing the concerns raised by the unions about the closure of the Wales Estate Factory, Nagamootoo said that while much has been said about the sugar industry and Government’s approach to it, “not a single advocate and lover of the sugar workers” had, in the past, objected to that which transpired under the PPP Administration. GuySuCo was put in $82 billion debt, he reminded the public servants.

“Where is the love for the sugar workers if you cripple the industry on which they depend for their livelihood and, over the years, (you) pump taxpayers’ money, your money — $47 billion — into an estate at Skeldon that has turned into a white elephant?” he asked the gathering.

The acting President, moreover, said Government has spent $17 billion to bail out the sugar industry: to pay wages to sugar workers, because “we love the sugar workers!”

“We didn’t want to see them perish because of the incompetence and the inefficiency of those who ran the industry down before we came into Government.”

He accepted that the way in which the announcement about the closure of the Wales Estate Factory was done was a “public relations (PR) disaster”; but he noted that if he had intervened prior, he would have been accused of politically interfering in the operations of GuySuCo.

“…our commitment to make the sugar industry viable is sincere, because we recognise the role of sugar,” he added.

Turning to President David Granger’s initiative of ensuring that every child gets a chance to be educated and the provision of transportation for same, the acting President said, “It was in the interest of the children of the working people…. It doesn’t matter if the buses were green and yellow…. When your house is infested with rats, do you look at the colour of the cat? Those who try to use the colour of these buses to spite our children, they themselves need to decide if they are hunting with the cats or running with the rats”.

He called on the trade unions to work collectively to achieve the common goal of a stronger and united Public Service.

Nagamootoo’s address followed a saucy address delivered by General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis, at what can be described as a historic Labour Day Rally, as, on this occasion, all the unions marched together.

The trade union movement has, for years, been divided. For more than a decade, the various trade union umbrella bodies have been marching separately on Labour Day because of differences in opinion and political persuasion. Sunday’s act has, however, indicated the resurgence of unity among the various bodies.

Lewis, in his address, called on the Government to begin negotiations with the unions for salary increases for public servants. He noted that public servants should also benefit from a 50 per cent increase, as did Government officials last year.

“The Government is called on to commence negotiations for wages and salaries…. This has nothing to do with the Commission of Inquiry,” a fiery Lewis opined.