TODAY, workers, particularly the unionized workers, will march and hold rallies. This annual May Day event has its genesis in workers losing their lives and suffering injuries during strike action to protest for just working conditions, notably an 8-hour work day, on May 4,, 1886 in Chicago, USA.

As workers participate in activities today, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that they do so in a markedly changed environment. The labour movement is going through a metamorphosis, but it is yet to be seen if this will see resurgence befitting its behemoth legacy, or resignation in accepting the status quo.

The latter notwithstanding, it is the former that helps to better understand the movement and what it has come to exemplify in the society.

Labour’s history in shaping universal rights, freedoms and conditions of work that are taken for granted ought not to be ignored. When workers of this country first distinguished themselves as an organised force in 1905 to stand up to the employer and demand a say at the table to influence their conditions of work, such has set in train a series of actions.

This act by the workers, consistent with the universal right to self-determination, freedom of association, collective bargaining, and involvement in management and decision-making processes that affect one’s well-being, has shaped universal declarations, charters, conventions and local laws.

While the right to freedom of association respects the right not to associate, those who choose to associate and work as a collective should be allowed to do so. Workers who gravitate to government jobs, outside of doing so based on limited opportunities or preferred career choice, would admit to good benefits and tenure, including a pension which are all attractive incentives to remain on the job or to enter the employ.

President David Granger is on record saying that Guyana’s development demands a proficient, professional Public Service and public servants are essential to the country’s administration since they exert direct and daily influence on the lives of Guyanese through various official agencies, boards, commissions, departments and ministries.

“Citizens’ access to public services – such as public education, public health, public infrastructure, public security, public telecommunications and social protection, for example – requires the existence of an impartial Public Service. Such a Service would be committed to implementing the policies and programmes of the Executive and to ensuring that the delivery of services to all Guyanese continues regardless of the political party in office, the President has said.

It is worth noting here that the President has matched his words with actions as since taking office the coalition Government has taken important policy decisions to raise the conditions of public servants. Among the many actions were the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service; the establishment of a Public Service Staff College and the constant increases in remuneration across the board.

Under this administration the minimum basic salary in the public service was raised to $64,000, which reflected a progressive increase since the administration took office. Besides, after protracted negotiations, the government was able to ink a three year agreement, 2016-2018, with the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU)last year.

For 2018, the Memorandum of Agreement saw teachers receiving two percentage points above the increases granted in 2016 ( which was payable in January 2019), no further increases for 2017 than those previously granted, and an 8 per cent across-the-board increase in salary, effective January 1, 2018. Also late last year Government increased public servants salaries which ranged from seven per cent to 0.5 per cent. The government has also raised the minimum basic salary for each public servant to $64,200 per month.

Additionally, since 2017, the government has paid salary increases beyond the “five per cent”, such that the minimum wage has rapidly increased from $39,570, in 2015 to $60,000 in 2017 and 64,000 in 2018.It took the PPP/C administration nine years to move the minimum wage by a similar percentage, or from $26,070 in 2006 to $39,570 in 2015.