Substantial pay increases depend on renegotiating the oil contracts - Dr. Jailall

Substantial pay increases depend on renegotiating the oil contracts – Dr. Jailall

Dec 05, 2021 News

…while we squabble among ourselves on these silly things, the oil companies are dancing and carting away our oil wealth because we have some dunces for leaders. Wake up people! Take a stand for renegotiation! Your pay increases depend on it!”

Kaieteur News – In light of the increasing criticism of the seven percent across the board increase, particularly by unions including the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the Guyana Teachers Union, and the Guyana Trades Union Congress among others, Canadian based, Dr. Jerry Jailall, believes that those “unions in Guyana must understand that hefty pay raises are tied to renegotiation of the current oil contracts.”

Canadian based Guyanese, Dr. Jerry Jailall

Dr. Jailall gave his views in a recent public missive where he observed that the government’s Department of Public Information only recently just released an article essentially saying that the People’s Progressive Party is adamant about not renegotiating the contract, “and that those of us who want renegotiation can go to hell.”
He observed too that, “in all of this malpractice of foreign companies raping our resources, some union leaders are busy playing Opposition politics.”
According to Dr. Jailall, one prominent union leader in the TUC writes more on anti-PPP topics than on collective bargaining and health and safety of workers, at a time when a deadly virus is ravaging the world and over 1,000 Guyanese have lost their lives.
“Some unions even took the Government to court to stop vaccination efforts and lost, as expected…This group with a clear political agenda versus a workers’ agenda is unabashedly anti-Government,” he said.
Dr. Jailall in his missive noted that in the midst of all the disruption of the economy and the government engaging in deficit spending through heavy borrowing, it has offered a seven percent increase, which is higher than the five percent usually imposed in violation of the collective bargaining agreements.
He posited, “both major parties have done enough to undermine the collective bargaining process over the years.”
According to Dr. Jailall however, while the seven percent is way above the usual five percent, it is not enough given the inflation and high cost of living driven by COVID-19 and the emerging oil economy.
He suggested that given the need to double workers’ pay to secure a “living wage,” and the multitudinous needs for massive infrastructural works, improvements in health, education, housing, social welfare, etc., Guyana needs more income from its oil.
To this end, Dr. Jailall was adamant, “It is pathetic to see the Minister of Natural Resources saying critics who say we will get nothing from oil sector reckless, uninformed.”
To this end, he questioned, “Why don’t the Minister tell the nation how many billions the oil companies made versus the US$600 million earned by Guyana. And the US$600 million is probably already spent because we are engaged in deficit spending and heavy borrowing!”
To the extent that the unions – both TUC and FITUG, Dr. Jailall said are silent about renegotiation of the oil contracts. To that extent, they have betrayed the working people of Guyana who will continue to “suck salt” for a long time to come.
“What happened to the working class, anti-imperialist ideologies that served the unions well in the past? …why are all the unions silent on renegotiation of the oil contract? Without renegotiation, we will never have enough money to fix our ‘s…hole’ country.”
The Canadian based Guyanese in his missive observed, “I just visited Guyana and 80 percent of the roads are potholed and needs repaving. Garbage is everywhere, the grass in trenches is overgrown, and when they dig the trenches, they drop the dirt right on the parapets to be washed in again. I have never seen such ongoing stupidity.”
According to Dr. Jailall, the needs in Guyana are enormous but instead of the unions uniting and lobbying the government to keep its promise to renegotiate “so we can get more income from oil, our leaders are distracted by whether we should buy black pudding from Indian or Black sellers, whether Black Bush farmers have a right to sell at the Plaisance Market, and whether the Minister of Sports (who is doing a very good job) should have said the Black community needs good role models.”
He concluded, “…while we squabble among ourselves on these silly things, the oil companies are dancing and carting away our oil wealth because we have some dunces for leaders. Wake up people! Take a stand for renegotiation! Your pay increases depend on it!”

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