-gov’t working out anomalies to give educators salary increases, President Ali says

THE Government of Guyana is progressively working to address the concerns of all categories of workers and teachers will soon receive salary increases, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said on Wednesday.

“We are working on a progressive plan to improve the overall welfare of every citizen. The welfare is not only a matter of salary. While we understand the importance of salaries, it’s [the] quality of life, quality of your healthcare, quality of your infrastructure, the cost of their water, the quality of their water,” he told reporters, while speaking on the sidelines of an event.

While the president did not reveal a timeline for the increase, he noted that the government is working to address several anomalies citing health workers and nurses who were working for GY$98,000 and would from next month be earning GY$160,000.

“Everything is done in a very holistic way. We have to understand the functionalities of the economy and every category of workers will be addressed,” he said adding: “We are starting from critical areas where there are great anomalies. That is how we have started and we are progressing well.”

He stressed that the time for teachers will come.

“I value the work of the teachers tremendously, teachers are an important asset to our country, and my own parents were teachers so no one has to tell me the value of teachers,” he added.

Earlier this week the President announced that the revision to the salary scale of health workers will see over 5,000 persons benefitting from a disposable income by over $1.5 billion annually.

Additionally, ranks of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Defence Force will also benefit from a $1 billion annualised increase to their salaries.