– says minister of state

MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon said the Government is working to include non-salary benefits for public servants as part of the ongoing discussion to increase wages and salaries in the sector.

These deliberations are being made with the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Harmon said on Sunday.

“We are engaging the Public Service Union. I can’t say specifically where those talks are now but certainly on the last time we engaged on salaries we were also looking at non-salary benefits as well. And those issues, I believe, are still on the table to be determined.
“When you look at salary, you’re looking at salaries and benefits. It’s not just one element, it’s an entire package and that is what we’re saying to them: don’t just separate the salary from the non-salary benefits. Because if in fact you’re working for $1,000 a day and then I am able to subsidise some of your expenses for which you have to spend that $1,000 then, in fact, that adds to the $1,000 that you’re getting. And these are some of the discussions we were having with the GPSU,” he said.

Recently, GPSU President Patrick Yarde had criticised the Government for “deep-seated issues” with regards to the welfare of workers which he said are yet to be addressed.
He noted that although the Government inherited some of the present “baggage” from the previous administration, it will not forget public servants.

“We love our public servants. Our public servants are the people who actually keep the engine of the Government going because without public servants you have no Government. So, we understand that very clearly and we will not do anything to damage or harm the interest of the people who have to work for us. It makes no sense.

“So I want to say that we at the level of the Government will continue to work with the unions, we will continue to work with the workers to find solutions that are in the interest of the workers,” he said.