THE university unions have completely rejected what they termed the “the imposed increases” in wages and salaries announced last week by the university for 2018, noting that the entire situation is “deeply disrespectful” and vowed to fight it.
“Not only are the imposed increases a violation of good labour relations practices, but some might say that arrogance and hypocrisy are displayed in this action,” the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union said in a joint statement Monday. Last week the university’s administration announced that its Finance and General Purposes Committee unanimously approved the request of Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith for salary increases at the rate of three per cent for all eligible UA staff and four per cent for all eligible UB staff, retroactive to January 1, 2018. These increases will be paid to staff members of the University of Guyana by Thursday, December 20, 2018, the institution said in a release. “Considering the increases granted for 2017, this makes the combined increase over two years nine per cent for UA staff and 12 per cent for UB workers,” UG said.
According to Vice-Chancellor Griffith, “although the 2018 negotiations with the unions never moved beyond differences over the agenda, I felt obliged to act on what we had planned all along to do; that is, to offer a salary increase for 2018.” He further emphasised that, “the administration maintains the principled position that performance will be a factor in this exercise, and that no academic staff with outstanding grades will be granted the increase.”
The university said as with previous salary increases, this salary adjustment requires finding money for the allowances that are pegged to salaries. “For example, housing allowances are tied to salaries at the rate of 20 per cent. Overall, the adjustment this year will cost the University G$ 81.34 million.” The vice-chancellor noted that while the percentage increase is modest, it is guided by the principle of affordability; G$81.34 million is what the university can afford at this time. Additionally, the increase is granted knowing that there is an understandable expectation by staff members for some form of financial relief for the year.
Meanwhile, the unions said in October, the vice-chancellor asked for the award of his second bonus of the year (the first one was awarded earlier in the year for 2016-2017). With the assistance of the chancellor, he was finally given that bonus at the Annual Business Meeting of the university on Thursday 8th November 2018. “He fought for his bonus while resisting an objective assessment of his performance. Affordability was never an issue when his bonus was under consideration. Now staffers are being asked to accept a minuscule unilateral increase on the grounds of affordability,” the union charged.
The university unions said they have attempted to negotiate this year’s salary increases with the administration since 12th January 2018, when they first wrote to the vice-chancellor to request the start of negotiations. “The agenda for the negotiations could not be agreed because the administration refused to let the unions’ agenda items be discussed first, and to delay other matters until a promised transformation had occurred at the university. The unions’ number one agenda item was wages and salaries for 2018. It is disingenuous for the vice-chancellor to claim that he has been forced to ask for the unilateral increase because he could not get us to agree to discuss these matters. The administration has refused to negotiate wages and salaries with the unions, going so far as to fail to attend a conciliation meeting requested by the unions. This meeting was scheduled by the Department of Labour for 25th October 2018, and the unions showed up, but the administration never did.”
Deeply disappointed
Noting that they are deeply disappointed that the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the University was a part of such an action against the staff of the university, the union said “last year, when the administration refused to negotiate with the unions, Council requested that they do so and so negotiations began. Now by appearing to endorse the administration’s actions, in not negotiating with the unions, F&GPC (which exercises Council) not only acquiesced in the violation of labour principles, but also violated the principles for the award of salary increases outlined by the Government of Guyana,” the unions said.
It charged that the Coalition government has been clear that salary increases should be negotiated and not imposed, as has been the case in the past. The F&GPC has participated in a very retrograde step, the release concluded.
