GEORGETOWN, Guyana – President Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced the first round of salary adjustments for public servants that will see about 8,000 members of the disciplined services taking home more money from next year.
President Irfaan Ali (via CMC)The adjustments, which will take effect on January 1, 2023, come on top of the eight percent, across-the-board increase for public servants that Ali announced last week.
In a recorded message informing the country about the salary changes for members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defense Force and Guyana Fire Service, the President said other categories of workers will see their pay adjusted as well and announcements on that will be made in due course.
The increases in minimum salaries paid to the disciplined services range from 5.8 percent for Lance Corporals to 21.7 percent in the case of Deputy Superintendents. The adjustments also include increases in minimum salaries based on experience.
“These revisions to the salaries of the members of the disciplined services will benefit an estimated 8,000 persons, and will increase the disposable incomes of our men and women in uniform by over $1 billion annually,” President Ali said.
“This represents the latest instalment of my Government’s unwavering commitment to continue to improve the working conditions of our employees in the public sector and, indeed, of all Guyanese.”
Noting that the salary adjustments come with great costs to the Treasury, the President told the men and women in uniform that they are expected to honor the adjustments with dignity, hard work, accountability and transparency.
“We expect you to perform at all times at the highest level. We expect you to deliver a better service to the people of our country,” he said.
“Things will only get better. Our country and conditions under which you live will only get better. I assure you of this. Under this People’s Progressive Party Civic government you can be assured of a Guyana that will get better, that will grow faster and will deliver better to every single Guyanese, every single family.”
President Ali also noted that in determining these adjustments, his government was especially mindful of the need “to resolve anomalies and disparities across the various services, and across comparable positions, as well as to take account of differentiated levels of experience across individuals within certain bands”.
“We were also mindful of the need to ensure that we improve our competitiveness, particularly at the entry level, so that our disciplined services continue to be an attractive employment prospect for our young men and women,” he added.
