–agrees to pay salary increase to workers
–Dr. Jagdeo flays PNCR-led body for not collecting PNC’s $6.4B debt

CRACKING under immense pressure, the PNCR-led Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has agreed to give its workers, who were on strike, a 10 per cent restrictive salary increase for 2024.
City Hall has recently faced severe backlash for its continued cry of being “cash-strapped”, even as it fails to recover $6.4 billion in debt owed to the council by the PNCR.
People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday called out the M&CC for refusing to go after the PNCR’s huge debt.
This potential income, according to the General Secretary, could aid the Council in various ways, such as to develop Georgetown.
“But they refuse to go after that huge source of revenue; they keep diverting the issue every time,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

Although the M&CC claims that it cares for the residents, Central Government has been taking the lead on Georgetown’s development, and investing billions of dollars, Dr. Jagdeo said.
The government has included the city in its national development agenda, with key investments in infrastructural advancement, drainage works, creating and fixing recreational facilities, and beautifying the city, among other things.

“The government’s support in Georgetown has been enormous. Everyone looking at this issue, impartially, would see that almost every bit of development work being done in the city, that is the responsibility of the City Council, is being done by the government,” the PPP General Secretary said.
Even with the PNCR being a huge contributor to the financial woes at the M&CC, Dr. Jagdeo pointed out: “… The City Council will not go after them. Yet, they will say to the workers there that they don’t have a source of revenue to pay them. If they were serious about discharging their responsibilities impartially, they would send out that demand letter.”

Dr. Jagdeo also urged the PPP/C City Hall councillors to fight for the M&CC to collect the debt owed.
The decision to give those workers the salary increase, followed conciliation efforts led by the Ministry of Labour, culminating in the signing of a resumption agreement between the M&CC and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), under the guidance of Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine on Thursday at the ministry’s Boardroom.

As per the agreement, the staff will receive a 10 per cent retroactive wage and salary increase for 2024, to be paid on or before March 31, 2025.
Additionally, they will receive an eight per cent retroactive wage and salary increase for 2025, effective from January 2025, to be paid on or before July 31, 2025.