GPSU refuses to discuss future pay awards
-Too many unresolved issues
Stabroek News
January 5, 2003
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has told the Public Service Ministry that it will not start talks on salary increases covering the next three years until a number of outstanding disputes are resolved.
Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry, Dr Nanda Gopaul, last week told Stabroek News that the ministry could not force the union to meet with its representatives, although the absence of discussions would affect the union and its membership.
Dr Gopaul has invited the union to meet tomorrow morning, January 6, to start negotiations for the period 2003, 2004, and 2005. This invitation to the union was dated November 25 and was issued by the Permanent Secretary. The invitation was accompanied by the ministry's circular governing last year's salary increases and salary scales.
According to the circular, the government has approved a 5% across the board increase in salaries and wages retroactive to January 1, 2002. In a letter dated January 2, GPSU President Patrick Yarde said that the decision not to engage the PSM until such time as the outstanding matters had been resolved, had been taken at the union's Executive Council Meeting of December 19.
The outstanding issues relate among other things, to the payment of increments with effect from 1999; payment of key and critical pay supplement to certain categories of public officers for 2000; and increases in allowances for 1999 and 2000 in keeping with the 1999 Armstrong Tribunal.
Also outstanding, Yarde said, were the arbitration for wages, salaries and allowances for 2001 and 2002.
Yarde drew attention to the union's notice of industrial action of March 20, 2002, advising that its ultimatum still stood. He said the union would exercise "that right without further notice if you continue to renege on your obligations to respect our lawfully binding agreement for the avoidance and settlement of disputes."
Dr Gopaul said he intended to respond to the union shortly, but found "it strange that the union was breaking new grounds in industrial relations by pulling out of the Collective Bargaining process." He noted, too, that it was also strange that "last year's ultimatum could still have validity."
He was of the view that the union was de-recognising itself by its current actions in relation to the salary negotiations. Ultimately, he said, the decision would be left to the union's membership who were looking forward to the disbursement of the increase.
Dr Gopaul could not comment on some of the issues which the GPSU had raised as they were subject to court adjudication.
However, in respect of negotiations and concerns, he said that they could be dealt with at the bargaining table which constituted the dynamics of good industrial relations.
