THE decision by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to await the conclusion of discussions with unions before announcing salary increases for public servants has been hailed by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis.According to Mr Lewis, it is the “Greatest victory” for unions in Guyana. In an invited comment just after Finance Minister Winston Jordan had concluded reading Budget 2016, Mr Lewis said the decision to wait on the unions is a victory for the trade union movement, since it shows that the Administration respects the Constitution of Guyana.

“It represents the first step of the Administration’s indication to respect the laws of this country,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan told the National Assembly that Government will await conclusion of discussions with the various unions before announcing salary increases.

“The Government understands the disappointment this will create among public servants, but wishes to assure them of our commitment to their welfare and advancement. We ask that they give the collective bargaining process an opportunity to work,” said Minister Jordan.

Mr Lewis said it is now time for the unions to “move with haste” to have their proposals finalised. He cautioned, however, that while the Government has respected the Rule of Law and the rights of the trade unions, the outcomes of the discussions on salary increases must also be respected.

“The terms of engagement must be adhered to,” he stressed.

Asked what words of encouragement he would provide to public servants who were eagerly awaiting the announcement of salary increases, the veteran trade unionist said, “I would tell them that they have a responsibility to ensure the Government they elected respects the law. It is also their responsibility to hold the union leadership accountable to act on their behalf.”

A representative of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) told the Guyana Chronicle that the umbrella union requested the Government to increase minimum wages to $70,000 while simultaneously increasing the income tax threshold in Budget 2016.

The representative said that consultations were held late last year between FITUG – which represents four unions – and the Minister of Finance. FITUG is the umbrella union which represents the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).

In the eight-month-old APNU+AFC’s maiden national budget, which was presented last year, a new minimum wage of $50,000 was introduced, bringing a 26.4 per cent increase from the old minimum wage of $39,540 and 17.1 per cent increase for the then minimum wage of $42,703. Coupled with this increase was an additional $5,000 for all public servants.

Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) President Mark Lyte said he would like to see a 10 per cent across-the-board increase for all public servants. The GTU is currently negotiating a multi-year agreement with the Ministry of Education. Lyte said that, through this process, more of the concerns of teachers are expected to be addressed, and subsequent to the conclusion of the negotiation, it is hoped that teachers will receive an additional increase.