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The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has deemed this year’s national budget as anti-working class.“This is said not only from the perspective of trade union interest, but also from the standpoint of the inequity of budgetary treatment relative to other classes and sectional interests in the society.“In a budget of $161.4 billion, workers at best, have been treated to a mere $5,000 per month increase in the tax threshold. That translates to an increased purchasing power of $1,667 weekly or $56 daily – less than the price of a loaf of bread. Indeed, this take home would be lessened by inflation, hikes in NIS, and further diminished by VAT. In any case, many workers would not benefit from this so called ‘generosity’ since the majority of public servants, who are numbered among the employed poor,wholesale jerseys, earn less than $35,000 per month.”The union noted too that this increase in threshold, coming as it did three years after it was last increased, in 2008, is still below what it should be,Cheap NFL jerseys China, that is $485,000, when inflation for the past three years is taken into account.“At this early stage too, it is apposite to remark that the government, as far back as 2009, grudgingly acknowledged that the minimum wage should be $50,000 per month, since it used that figure as the cut-off for the payment of the cost-of-living allowance of $4,000 per month. If the government has so acknowledged, why, two years after, it could not see fit to increase the minimum wage and threshold to at least $50,000 per month, thereby bringing some tangible relief to public servants?”TaxRegarding the announcing of a reduction in the rates of income tax for commercial and non-commercial companies, with the exception of the telecommunications companies, GPSU says that while it applauds this initiative and congratulates the private sector on winning this concession, “how can a ‘working class’ government not see it fit to simultaneously reduce the burdensome rate of individual income tax, which is kept at a staggering 33S! percent?”Guyanese workers, the union argues, are paying a higher rate of tax, at 33S! percent than their counterparts in many other CARICOM countries, for example, Trinidad and Tobago, where incomes are far higher, but where the tax rate is only 25 percent. The tax is also unreasonably compounded by the 16 percent VAT on consumer goods.“Despite several representations and submissions by the union which culminated with the proposal for increases in wages and salaries for the years 2010-2012, government has shown total disinterest in negotiations and has highhandedly made paltry awards of increases to workers. The union however notes that the provision for revision of wages and salaries for the year 2011 was set at $3.461B, which is approximately 15 percent of the wages and salaries budget of $23.080B. We know from previous experience that that increase will not necessarily be paid to public servants since all manner of expenditure is met from the category ‘revision of wages and salaries’.”GPSU maintained that even if one assumes that the entire 15 percent was to be paid,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the budget presentation fell “woefully” short of clarity.“Not only have the increases meted out to public servants been deemed inadequate to meet the definition of a living wage in the context of Guyana, but also the “across the board” methodology used for payment has had human resources consequences, such as bunching, overlapping pay scales, deterioration in the relativities between scales, and exaggeration of the gap between the incomes of Scale 1 (unskilled worker) and Scale 14 (Permanent Secretary).”Contract employeesThe budget further showed a marked increase in contracted employees’ wages/salaries by 9.5 percent,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, moving from $4.65 billion in 2010 to $5.14 billion in 2011.“This has several implications for the security and interest of public servants, in that it shows a growing and worrying trend of the government to bypass the traditional public service in favor of recruitment outside that body, which is an independent body under the constitution; it creates a means of paying emoluments that are substantially higher than traditional public servants to favoured workers of the government even though similar duties and/or similar responsibilities are assigned; and it recognises the need for comprehensive reform in pay and other conditions of service.”GPSU said it is once again calling on the government to have “meaningful” engagements.With regard to public service reform, the budget has not indicated that this matter still occupies a priority place on the government’s agenda, the union felt.“As a matter of fact, there is no functional public service reform programme in operation. The last Public Service Reform Programme came to an abrupt end in 2008, a fact which was highlighted by the union in a recent press release. It is a matter of grave concern to the union that the absence of a proper and structured reform programme has had deleterious effects on workers’ efficiency and productivity, while contributing to the brain drain and the migration of skilled personnel. The World Bank’s estimate of 80 percent of the skilled workforce of Guyana migrating seems to have had little or no galvanising effect on this Government.”InclusivityAs it relates to inclusivity, the GPSU said it was proactive in numerous attempts to meet with the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, all of which were unsuccessful.“This year’s theme – “Together Building Tomorrow’s Guyana Today” points toward the same tired, old song that has been playing for years now. Yet,China Jerseys Cheap, we resolve not to lose hope for the GPSU resides in the belief that greater respect will be given to collective arrangements and that the legitimate role of Unions will be accelerated through professional coordination and response by the Government.”GPSU said it is puzzling to understand against which yardstick people can publicly claim that the “budget is for ordinary people.”“On the contrary,NFL Jerseys Outlet, the GPSU believes that the 2011 Budget is more akin to a declaration of war on traditional public service workers. A massive struggle in terms of what should be as against what is imposed will be waged. The struggle for a fair and equitable share of the national cake for public servants will be intensified. It will be long, but we shall overcome!”