SUPPORT staffers of the University of Guyana (UG) which include technicians, cleaners and secretaries, will get an eight per cent increase in their salary, retroactive from January 1, 2017.
While the entire employee-population of UG was not granted an increase, Vice Chancellor of the University, Ivelaw Griffith, said the award is a good start.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) was inked by Chief Labour Officer (ag), Karen Vansluytman-Corbin; Chairman of the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU), Bruce Haynes, and the vice chancellor on Wednesday at the Ministry of Social Protection, Brickdam, Georgetown.

Griffith indicated that the negotiations for a salary increase started in July and a final offer was made to the UGWU in August.
“The union did what it thought was in its best interest and the administration had its responsibility to act in the university’s best interest,” he said, adding that UG intends to find a way to “raise the bar” in the coming year.
He believes that there are a few realities other than salaries and wages that need to be addressed and these include various allowances such as duty, housing and uniform allowances that have been depressed for years.

Haynes, though he accepted the realities, said there are still a lot of imbalances that need to be addressed, because they should have signed off an increase for academic and non-academic employees as well.
The UGWU chairman pointed out that there is a six per cent increase in the pipeline for the remaining employees, but they are still dealing with various issues that were not resolved in time.
He, however, believes that they can iron out those issues before the end of 2017.