During a recent press conference, the Alliance For Change (AFC) called for a 50% increase in salaries and wages for all government employees.
Referencing a World Bank report which states that “Increasing oil and gas revenues will allow financing of significant budget outlays to address development needs and tackle poverty”, AFC spokesperson for finance, Hon Juretha Fernandes MP, argued that “The resources are available, and it cannot be business as usual for the PPP when people cannot afford a decent meal, and when people living in poverty are seeing their squatting homes bulldozed to the ground”.
In an invited comment, MP Fernandes asserted that “food prices have increased 32% since the PPP came to power, and as a result, the spending power of public servant salaries has been significantly eroded over the past two and a half years”. She further argued that “reversing the 32% inflation is not a realistic economic plan and increasing salaries is the only solution.”
While in office, the APNU+AFC coalition increased public service minimum wages by 77%, but more needs to be done to give public servants an acceptable standard of living. This is even more needed today to keep ahead of the rampant inflation seen under the PPP regime.
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