McDonald herself proclaimed that life for teachers was better under the PPP/C Government
The APNU+AFC continues to operate in an alternate universe, completely insensitive to the anguish, pain, and suffering Guyanese endured during their tenure which was marred by inhumane economic policies. This notion was cemented as I read a statement issued by the APNU+ AFC’s Coretta McDonald, in which she attempted to criticize the recent announcement by President Irfaan Ali of an 8 per cent salary increase across the board for public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, constitutional office holders and government pensioners as well as his intention to announce an adjustment to the salaries of lower categories of public sector workers in the coming week.
McDonald’s willingness to sacrifice truth at the altar of political expediency to fulfill the APNU+AFC’s misleading narratives is extremely disheartening. She deliberately inflated the inflation rate to 50 per cent which is another spurious claim used to buttress her argument against the salary increase announced by the President. The inescapable truth is that McDonald knows all too well the unjust and harsh treatment teachers endured at the hands of David Granger and the APNU+AFC regime. McDonald and her party believed that all of Guyana were asleep between May 2015 and August 1st 2020. They believe that Guyanese forgot that it was McDonald herself who proclaimed in 2018 that life for teachers was better under the PPP/C Government.
In fact, so good and attractive are the PPP/C policies towards workers that McDonald advanced her desire, through discussions, to become the PPP/C’s 2020 elections, prime ministerial candidate, up until a different approach was taken. Therefore, the slap in the face McDonald refers to in her statement should really be directed inwards to her colleagues in the APNU+AFC because of the treatment workers faced in this country during the tenure of the Granger-led regime. Teachers were forced to take strike action in 2018 following 3 years of delay in renewing the five-year salaries and benefits agreement first signed under the PPP/C and which had expired in 2015.
Their suffering, like every other Guyanese except for the coalition elites, was further compounded by the imposition of, an increase of over 200 taxes and fees. And for daring to stand up for their rights they were called “selfish” and “uncaring” by a sitting Minister in the APNU+AFC government. Instead of focusing on the overall well-being of public sector workers, officials of Coretta McDonald’s party rewarded themselves with a 50% salary increase three months after taking office. They spent billions of dollars on food, fancy vehicles, and upgrading offices for themselves.
On the other hand, since returning to office the PPP/C government is implementing holistic economic policies to lower prices for goods and services which have increased globally. At the same time, we have reversed the punitive taxes that had been imposed by APNU+AFC on electricity, water, medical services and educational supplies, basic household necessities, and basic construction materials. The salary increase should not be viewed in isolation, but in unison, with the several other measures, we have implemented since assuming office, all with the aim of improving disposable incomes for public sector employees and Guyanese at large. As announced by the President, the increase, retroactive from January 2022, is part of Government’s wider efforts and also includes adjusted salary scales for various categories of workers to be announced next week. The APNU+AFC willfully omits to mention this information in their haste to be critical.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hamilton
Minister of Labour
While the government cannot fix wage rates for the private sector, they could enact minimum wage legislation. They enacted one in July 2022, and another one could take place later if the private sector minimum wage rate continues to lag behind the government‘s minimum wage rate. While the Minister of Labour is aware that the private sector is taking note of the various government’s interventions in the economy, he also says that the impact of the disparity at the minimum wage level is not as great as depicted by these figures since 90% of private sector workers earn more than the minimum wage (of $60,147) and that only 10% of workers are at the minimum wage level.
Mr. Paul Cheong, Chair of Private Sector Commission supports this ratio and adds, “In most places the starting salary is above the minimum wage. If you offer the minimum wage, you will not get staff.” Cheong says that that it is difficult to get a labourer for less than $4,000 a day. This works out to $100,000 (25 days x $4,000) per month. He envisages that more companies would need to move beyond the minimum wage to attract workers.
Minister Hamilton emphasized that while wage increase is important to keep pace with inflation and is compatible with workers’ welfare, this (wage increase) must be considered part of a package that includes workplace safety, leave allowances, uniform grants, scholarship awards, duty-free concessions, among other things. It is assumed that state agencies like Bank of Guyana, and Guyana Revenue Authority, would benefit from the wage increase. While this wage pay out would increase the disposable incomes of households and individuals, it is unlikely to increase the inflation rate as productivity has also increased across all economic sectors.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tara Singh