AS Guyana marks Labour Day 2025, the nation stands at a crossroad, one that is marked not by empty rhetoric, but by tangible transformation in the lives of its workforce.
Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s call for more introspection on the significance of the day is timely and necessary. The data and anecdotes underlying Guyana’s recent labour resurgence are the story; this is not the Guyana of five years ago.
The PPP/C administration, since 2020, has been fulfilling its pledge to create jobs, and uplift the working people. The proof is undeniable.

There are more than 60,000 additional Guyanese employed today compared to the previous government, with females and those in the hinterlands deriving significant gains from the targetted initiatives of the National Pathway Workers Project and the part-time workers’ programme.
These initiatives have not only created jobs but empowered women who now make up 75% of the part-time workforce, and delivered major jobs to communities that were once overlooked.
The government’s approach has been far-reaching, extending beyond job creation to workforce training and social mobility.

The training of thousands of teachers, the expansion of the GOAL scholarship programme, and the prioritisation of Guyanese in the new petroleum sector are setting the foundations for future prosperity.
The PPP/C’s absolute commitment to collective bargaining, reopening negotiations with unions, and reaching multi-year agreements, is in stark contrast to the wage impositions of the past. Public servants have been awarded a total 46% salary increase from 2021 to 2025, with bonuses and allowances reinstated and added.

And the improvements don’t end with pay. The government has raised income tax allowances, introduced tax-free overtime, and implemented subsidies on essentials like electricity and water.
Pensions have gone up, housing and healthcare have become more affordable, and the National Insurance Scheme has been overhauled to include thousands more contributors and pensioners. These are not one-off gimmicks; they are all part of a coherent policy to raise living standards, and make work pay for all.

Critics will attempt to distract with allegations of discrimination, or point to isolated grievances, but the facts on the ground are undeniable. The PPP/C government’s record is one of delivery, not rhetoric. The infusion of over $105 billion a year in public servants’ salaries and benefits says volumes about the priorities of this administration.

The restoration of the one-month bonus for the Joint Services, which was done away with by the previous government, also talks of a new-found respect for the individuals who serve.
As President Irfaan Ali has noted, the living standard of Guyana’s working people is being transformed not just by salary packets, but by people-oriented, holistic policies. From affordability in housing to world-class healthcare, from cash grants at school to upskilling training, the government’s development vision is not just ambitious; it is inclusive.

Labour Day 2025 should, therefore, be more than a commemoration; it should be a celebration of concrete, measurable change. Guyana’s workforce has every reason to stand tall.
The country’s future is certain. With continued investment in its people, Guyana is poised for a future where prosperity is both shared and sustained. The evidence is in the lives improved, the jobs created, and the hope revived. This is the true significance of Labour Day in a new Guyana.