CONTRARY to the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s claims that it supported the public sector with massive increases in the public sector wage bill, Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo provided statistics showing that it was actually the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government that prioritised the well-being of persons in the public service with significant increases since 2020.
Dr. Jagdeo, during his weekly news conference on Thursday, told reporters: “We looked at the wages and it’s self-explanatory, the wages between 2014 and 2019, the APNU period, it was a 56 per cent increase, and from 2020 to 2024 it is 66.1 per cent increase.”
Looking at the nominal value, he highlighted that the public sector wage increased by $83 billion more under the PPP/C administration.
“Increase in 2014 to 2019 was $43 billion so when they started in 2014, by 2019 the wage bill for these three areas had gone up by $43 billion. From 2020 to 2024, the increase has been $83 billion, more than 100 per cent of what APNU gave for the five years,” the Vice-President said.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Labour Day, had emphasised his administration’s aggressive efforts to implement additional measures aimed at easing the burdens faced by the workforce.
“We have to manage this period going up from 2027 to 2030 carefully. And I can assure that we will have one of the most up-skilled and qualified workforce population in this region. And, that workforce and work population will see matching benefits, matching salaries, higher quality of life, better standard of living,” the Head of State said.
The President related that the current quality of life should not solely be measured by wages, but by the holistic programme and policies implemented by the government to bring improvement to every citizen, especially the labour force.
Government initiatives, including the $25,000 cash grant for each household, reduced interest rates, extension of loan payment moratoriums, creation of over 65,000 jobs, restoration of Joint Services bonuses, and annual increases in the income tax threshold, have significantly benefitted the working class.
These measures alleviate burdens on households, allowing for more disposable income.
Other initiatives implemented by the government included scholarships for citizens under the GOAL scholarship programme.
These efforts have incurred significant costs for the government. Notably, within the housing sector, over 30,000 house lots were allocated, with a majority distributed to public servants.
