IT was recently announced by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan that, come what may, public servants will be granted salary increases by the end of this year.
This news would certainly come as welcome news to members of the public service. However, the announcement is certainly not at all surprising, considering that one of the most important policy developments made by the David Granger administration is the decision to create and foster a “professional public service.” And a professional service would, correctly, expect to be adequately compensated, so as to enjoy a decent standard of living.
The president has always been committed to a well-compensated, disciplined, well-trained, satisfied public service. This is part of his overarching vision for a good life for all Guyanese. As early as May 2015 Brigadier Granger in an address to heads of government agencies and permanent secretaries and other officials at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, had disclosed that under his administration, public servants will be held to strict standards of professionalism, transparency and integrity, even as government works towards providing a living-wage.
The Brigadier had stated that, “It is my view that the public service is the engine of the executive, (and) it is essential to have an efficient public service.” He added that, “It is we the public servants who create that environment in our day to day work, so, civilised life in Guyana is not possible without good public service.” His Excellency underscored that for progress to take place and most importantly, equality, a responsive public service is the engine that will ensure this. A relevant public service, which has roots in all regions, is also needed to meet the needs of all citizens, said the president.
“We need a public service that is reliable, and I mention this, the relevance, the responsiveness, the resourcefulness and reliability, because I believe in having stronger regions.” The President called on public servants to improve efficiency and, most importantly, to increase the satisfaction which citizens can derive [from the services that are offered by government].
The president noted too, that the service must be politically impartial. He said, “We cannot function without a public service and if the public service tries to be politicians, there will be catastrophe, there will be administrative catastrophe, the public service must live by different rules.”
With those facts in mind, the president – in his typically visionary outlook – announced that “The Public Service must possess expert knowledge and high standard academic education and for that reason, I intend to introduce a staff college, so that everyone entering the administrative branches of the Guyana Public Service must do a course at the Public Service Staff College. ”This would ensure that persons serving the nation would be more equipped, even as the present Public Service Training Division of the Public Service Ministry will be upgraded.” In keeping with this commitment, The Bertram Collins College of the Public Service began operating in November 2016 and the first batch of students graduated in December, 2017.
More recently, last Wednesday, President David Granger addressing the Guyana Public Service Union’s 23rd Biennial Delegates’ Conference held at State House, iterated that, “The modern public service demands competent, proficient, and versatile workers, who can adapt consistently to new technology.”
The administration’s commitment to public servants is beyond any doubt. Since being elected to office, government has raised the minimum wage from $39,570 to $60,000. 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. As government continues to make good on its promises, Guyanese, including public servants, should make our own commitment to stay the course. After all, public servants may continue to expect a higher standard of living with an APNU+AFC government, even as the general public benefits from better trained and motivated government workers.
