…increased minimum wage by 62%, President says

PRESIDENT David Granger said his government has worked to address the concerns of the labour force and will continue to do so.

“Your government has ensured improvements in workers’ well-being, most recently, by increasing the monthly public service minimum wage by 62 per cent from $39, 540 to $64,200; attracting investment to catalyse job-creation; promoting entrepreneurship as a stimulus for employment and expanding public services,” President Granger said in his Labour Day address.

Reiterating his support for the working force, President Granger said working together would result in greater efforts to generate employment, including self-employment, especially for women and young people. As such, he urged the labour movement to continue to work with the government, private sector and civil society.

President Granger, in his address, noted that Labour Day celebrates the achievements of the working people, adding that it takes stock of the sacrifices and struggles made for freedom, food and fair employment. It salutes trade unions and their stewardship for the workers’ well-being, he further added while underscoring the importance of the labour movement.

“The labour movement, tasked with protecting workers’ rights and improving their quality of life, is essential to expanding employment opportunities and ensuring just conditions of work.

“Workers, through their trade unions, historically supported the struggles for the achievement of political independence, social justice, increases in wages and improvements in their living conditions,” he said.

President Granger said workers, today, are much better off as a result of the sacrifices of their forebears. He pointed out that Legislation, organisations, institutions and services now ensure workers’ rights, including gender equality and retirement benefits. Improved access to education, health, housing, social protection and public utilities has transformed workers’ lives.

His government, he said, remains a friend of workers and of the labour movement. “It supports, always, the trade unions’ struggle for a good life for everyone,” President Granger said.

Today, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), two of the leading voices of the nation’s workers, will once again observe Labour Day 2019 under one banner. At approximately 8:00hrs, hundreds of workers will march from Parade Ground to the National Park for the annual May Day rally at 11:00hrs.