–6,000 workers needed for hospitality sector by 2024
–more benefits for pensioners, President Ali announces

WITH Guyana poised for significant growth in various industries, there is a growing need for skilled professionals to fill the demand. However, simply increasing the number of skilled workers is not enough.

To ensure their success and enable them to thrive, President, Dr Irfaan Ali is calling for a “holistic upliftment” of workers in Guyana that addresses not only their technical skills, but also their social and emotional well-being.

During a breakfast meeting on Monday with leaders of various trade unions in honour of Labour Day, the President said that Guyana’s interest must always be placed first, especially its human resources.

“This requires a healthy, strong professional conversation between all stakeholders, especially the government and the labour movement. That is why as we move forward, we will have a broadened grouping dealing with human-resource analytics.

“But we’ll have to move away now to this broader concept of human-resource analytics, because you [trade unions] will be part of a new, modern era that generates human resources that will be part of empowering and producing the necessary human resources for our country,” he said.

With Guyana currently constructing several internationally branded hotels in Regions Two, Four and Six, the President said that the country is faced with the issue of labour shortage, especially in skilled labour.

President Ali said that this “holistic” vision is aimed at ensuring that workers are equipped with the necessary tools and support to meet the demands of a changing job market. However, by taking a comprehensive approach to uplifting workers, he hopes to create a more resilient and sustainable workforce that can adapt to changing circumstances and thrive in the long term.

Dr Ali added that one of the issues with which the government is faced is recruiting and training of persons by the end of next year.

“Six thousand to be trained in different areas of hospitality by the time we get up to 2024 or otherwise, we will be in a crisis. The hotels are already saying, ‘We are not finding workers.’ A lot of pressures on the system.

“… I met with all the major contractors, private and public, and they said to me, ‘We can’t find labourers.’ And, you find, because the salary is so large now, people are working a day pay of a minimum of $10,000,” the Head of State said.

Dr Ali related that the discipline in the workforce is eroding, since workers only show up to work for two or three days a week and are content with earning a salary of $30,000 for that limited amount of work.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
This behaviour is seen as problematic because it indicates a lack of commitment and dedication to the job, which could, in turn, have negative consequences for both the individual worker and the organization for which they work.

“That is a major, major problem that we will have to address,” President Ali said, noting that the government is taking a holistic approach to tackling the issue.

“When I speak about the holistic worker, together, all of us now have to educate our workers on productivity, staying disciplined, staying in the labour force, the consistency of labour, it is going to be a major, major problem,” the Head of State said.

Under Budget 2023, parents and guardians of 214,000 schoolchildren will now receive $40,000, which amounts to $8.6 billion.

The education grant, the income-tax threshold adjustment, the salary adjustment, and the expansion of the part-time job programme are part of the billions of dollars being put back into the pockets of people, as the government seeks to increase disposable income.

Additionally, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government also removed the 200 plus taxes instituted by the PNC/R, distributed a $150,000 one-off fisherfolk cash grant, and introduced other measures.

The PPP/C government has implemented several measures to assist persons with disabilities, including a $25,000 cash grant for training, equipment, hearing aids and other medical supplies, and entrepreneurial development.

The government has also provided public assistance to approximately 8,000 Guyanese living with disabilities, and every child living with a permanent disability will receive a one-off cash grant of $100,000.

Outside of this, President Ali said that the government is focused on pursuing “more benefits” for pensioners, for which “broad discussions” will soon commence.

“This is where we want things to go on what constitutes holistic upliftment of workers and not just salary … [To] allow the worker to enjoy the best possible working life, but more importantly, a life that allows them to retire in dignity,” he said.

Leaders from the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU); the Guyana Agricultural & General Workers Union (GAWU); the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU); the National Association of Agriculturalal, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE); the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) were all present at the breakfast meeting at State House.

However, the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and General Workers Union (GWU) boycotted the meeting.