President Patrick Yarde, while recapping some of the highlights of the GPSU’s just concluded 15th Biennial Conference, said the union had endorsed a resolution mandating the union’s executive council to negotiate to finality with government a means of having only its members benefit from increases granted after negotiations.

The conference also passed a motion seeking an amendment to the country’s constitution to clearly articulate and remove ambiguity with relation to the status of employees of the state at certain levels.

This motion was conceived as a result of what members saw as the government’s perceived leaning towards establishing several authorities with the purpose of carrying out state functions.

They also sought a guarantee that the conditions of service of those who are entering the service are no less favourable than those enjoyed by public officers currently employed in certain positions.

There was a motion directing the executive council of the union to agitate for amendments to the public service rules, as well as those relating to collective bargaining, to include clauses clearly defining abuse of authority as a matter likely to attract disciplinary action.

Various branches from the ten administrative regions proposed several motions at the conference including demanding engagement of the union and the government in achieving rises in allowances, salaries and incentives to long-serving employees.

Members also deliberated over appointments of public servants who had been in ‘acting’ positions for years as well as the issue of compensation for employees who are injured or killed in accidents while travelling in government vehicles.

A proposal was also put to have the qualifying age for National Insurance lowered from 60 years to 55 years to coincide with the minimum age of retirement from the public service.

The two-day conference focused on ways of strengthening the membership base to allow it to be more beneficial to its members.