—$10.5 billion disbursed

AN aggregate of $10.5 billion was placed in the hands of public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, and government pensioners as payment of the seven percent retroactive salary increase along with substantive December salaries and pensions were disbursed last week.

This was disclosed by the Ministry of Finance in a press release on Saturday which noted that over 50,000 public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services and government pensioners received their 2021 salary increase over the last week.

The seven per cent increase in wages and salaries for all categories of public servants was announced by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, on November 11, 2021 and was aimed towards further improving the living standards of Guyanese.

In addition to the pay hike, $400 million was set aside for a special 2021 pay out to be made to frontline workers in the health sector who, Dr. Singh had said, continue to face extenuating circumstances in the daily discharge of their duties, as the country and the world continue to battle the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pay hike and $400 million for frontline health workers are in addition to a slew of measures the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has implemented since assuming office on August 2, 2020, to help cushion the effects of COVID-19, the recent catastrophic flooding and other unprecedented economic burdens citizens faced.

“The PPP/C Government has continued to take a multifaceted approach in improving the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. This injection will also stimulate economic activity across the country as the $10.5 billion placed in the hands of employees in the public sector will be multiplied as workers spend their increase in disposable income in markets, shops, or other businesses across the country,” the release stated.

The government has so far distributed the COVID-19 cash grant of $25,000 per household, which resulted in $7.5 billion being distributed to families across all 10 of the country’s administrative regions and the $19,000 grant for children attending public as well as private schools.

Additionally, there was a $25,000 cash grant for public servants; pensioners and persons with disabilities were given a one-off $25,000 cash grant; $200 million was provided in electricity credits to households that met a certain criterion; $7.6 billion was set aside for flood-relief grants and severed sugar workers are in the process of receiving a $250,000 one-off grant.