— Minister Parag chides Sarabo-Halley for not fixing the issues during her tenure as minister

MEMBER of Parliament (MP) on the government and opposition side, on Thursday, found bipartisan ground as they agreed that public servants should not have to wait three months before being paid their first salaries.

However, Minister of Public Services, Sonia Parag explained that while public servants can be paid within a reasonable time, being paid within one month is not always practical given what the process entails when someone is employed in the public service.

“This government does not want to see public servants wait three months to be paid [but] there is a process that if you are on a new employment list or recruitment. The agency has to submit your name, there are credentials and documents that have to be submitted, within a timely manner through multiple agencies,” Minister Parag explained.

The minister was at the time making her contribution to a debate on a motion put forth by Opposition MP, and former Minister of Public Service, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, which called for the “payment of first salary to public servants in one month”. The motion emanated from consistent reports from new public servants who say they have to wait three months before they receive their first salary.

The motion inter alia stated “that the National Assembly advises the Government of Guyana to ensure that public servants receive their first paycheck no more than one month after the commencement of their employment in the public sector”.

However, Minister Parag in her remarks, called for some changes.

“I would move an amendment to the motion raised. Be it resolved clause delete word ‘advises’ in the first line and substitute with ‘encourages’. Delete the phrase ‘no more than one month after the commencement of their employment in public sector’ and replace it with words “within a reasonable time on receipt of a letter of appointment or a signed contract’,” the minister said.

The minister then delved into explaining the reasoning behind the amendment, noting the process and procedures that go into the salary payments, and clarifying that it would be impractical to guarantee a one-month timeline for the payment of salaries.

She reaffirmed however, that the government does not believe that a public servant should have to wait for three months to be paid.

WORK COLLABORATIVELY
“We try within a timely manner to get persons their salary but it involves a multi-agency collaboration. I am saying that we are going to work collaboratively with all agencies to ensure within a reasonable time after a request has been sent to get persons their salaries,” the minister said.

She further noted that: “We are putting a system in place to assist, to ensure public servants get their salaries within a reasonable time. No public servant should wait three months for a salary [but] we cannot put the timeframe of one month. Where there are bottlenecks we will look at those bottlenecks.”

Minister Parag also explained that there is, in some cases, interim arrangement where workers are paid an advance while they await the official processing of salaries.

“Agencies such as the regional body would pay an advance and place them on temporary employment so that they can be paid while waiting. That is a system in place right now,” the minister explained.

She declared that the government supports the timely payments of public servants because they value the work of public servants.

“This government unequivocally values public servants, values their time, their effort and all that they do to keep the wheels of government turning,” she commented.

Minister Parag, however, took Sarabo-Halley to task for pushing a one-month time limit for payment when she understands and knows the complicated logistics that goes into the first time salary payments of public servants, having served a Minister of Public Service in the former APNU+AFC Government.

Minister Parag was puzzled that Sarabo-Halley never thought about bringing the motion before the National Assembly during her time in office and fix the issues she is now raising.

FACTS STRAIGHT
“Let’s get our facts straight. For five years the opposition was in government and yet nothing was done in the five years,” Parag remarked.

Minister Parag also called out Opposition MP Jermaine Figueira, who spoke just before her, of straying from the issue, and clutching at straws to diminish the work of the government.

“He wants to carry the narrative that this government is doing nothing to help the people when in fact our work is speaking for itself. This government from day one has been in all of the regions and villages of this country trying to assist and have been assisting. It becomes a threat to the opposition when we do what we have to do for the people,” Parag said.

Meanwhile, during his presentation on the motion, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said the government cares for all workers.

He added that the government has thus far reemployed thousands of persons who have lost their jobs under the previous administration.

Against this backdrop, he told the House that countless public servants were dismissed under the former administration for various reasons, inclusive of political affiliation.

“We will ensure that we protect the rights of the workers of the country… that’s the nature of our government,” he said

Mustapha stated that the government will ensure that public servants will be paid within a reasonable time even as he noted that they will continue to bring measures to alleviate the problems being faced by all Guyanese.

“Every category of workers in our country we are giving them some form of help,” the Agriculture Minister expressed.

The government, he added, has brought back professionalism to the Public Service.