Public service wage talks
Negotiations stalemated over arbitration issues
Father Rodrigues to head panel
By Oscar P. Clarke
Stabroek News
November 13, 2002
Public sector wage talks between the government and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) have stalemated over the terms of reference for the arbitration panel.
The parties were said to have reached a deadlock due to government’s position that arbitrators should examine proposals for a multi-year wages agreement and exclude consideration of allowances. It has also been disclosed that the government had nominated Father Malcolm Rodrigues to head the tribunal and the union has agreed with their choice.
Dr Nanda Gopaul, Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry yesterday denied that government was introducing a new dimension but rather was seeking to deal expeditiously with the issue of wages. Gopaul said the government was simply recognising that time was of the essence and decided that it was more prudent to examine the issue of wages first before addressing allowances.
But GPSU President Patrick Yarde at a press briefing yesterday at the union’s New Garden and Regent Road headquarters said the union was flabbergasted when Gopaul informed CLO Mohamed Akeel at a meeting yesterday morning that the government was no longer agreeing to allowances being included in the terms of reference as an issue to be arbitrated upon.
The union was also surprised that the government was extending the salary issue beyond 2002 to 2003 and 2004. This according to Yarde was an act aimed at holding the union to ransom to discuss issues for which it did not have a mandate.
GPSU consultant, Leslie Melville said when the sides left the meeting on Friday it had been agreed that salaries and allowances were among the areas slated to engage the arbitration tribunal.
Gopaul told Stabroek News yesterday that government had all along raised the issue of a multi-year wage package.
According to Gopaul, it was in the interest of the current job situation that once negotiations on wages were proceeding it would be prudent to advance this beyond the current year to allow government to plan for the future.
Yarde agreed that there is need to work towards a multi-year agreement and that the union had no problem in negotiating such an agreement.
But he did have a problem with what he called the highhanded nature with which government wanted to deal with the issue in the absence of a comprehensive package. Gopaul was adamant that government would be willing to look at the issue of allowances even giving a commitment that the issue could be resolved through negotiations as was the case in past years.
The union is expected to brief its members on the latest development before deciding on a strategy for moving forward.
Efforts to contact, Chief Labour Officer (CLO) yesterday proved futile. He is expected to contact the parties to seek to work for a recommencement of discussions between the parties.
