Contract workers skyrocket in every ministry except foreign, legal affairs

– Govt wage bill costing taxpayers 147% more

Revelations have surfaced showing that the number of contract workers skyrocketed under the new A

PPP/C Parliamentarian Irfaan Ali

Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change Government even though it has being in the executive office for a mere eight months.
This revelation is being made even though the government has denied claims that there is a substantive change.
Despite criticising the previous administration of undermining the public service and of paying contractual employees “fat cat” salaries, information have revealed that the number of contract workers under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) government not only inflated by 16 per cent but that the total employment cost for all the ministries have amounted to a humungous $30.5 billion.
In fact, contract employees have escalated in all ministries except for the Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs Ministries with the Office of the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo capitalising on a 73 per cent increase in the number of contract workers who are budgeted to pocket a total of approximately $82 million at the end of the year; an increase of over 280 per cent as opposed to the 2015.
According to sources, some of these contract employees are working in various regions and are collecting hefty sums through the Prime Minister’s office.
For the Ministry of Presidency, contract employees have jumped from 298 to 505; Finance Ministry from 162 to 167; Indigenous Affairs Ministry from 72 to 79; Agriculture Ministry from 248 to 274; Tourism Ministry from 31 to 40; Business Ministry from 30 to 40; Natural Resources Ministry from 38 to 56; Public Infrastructure Ministry from 271 to 294; Education Ministry from 601 to 691; Communities Ministry form 55 to 62; Public Health Ministry from 1303 to 1400; Social Protection Ministry from 369 to 371 and Public Security Ministry from 239 to 248 while the newly introduced Public Telecommunication Ministry contracted 122 employees.
Consequently, the total employment cost for all of the Ministries climbed from around $12 billion to in excess of $30 billion; a radical increase of 147 per cent when compared to the previous year.
Moreover, though there is a decrease in the number of contract workers for the Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs Ministries, the employment costs have risen by a considerable 8 per cent.

Insulting to public servants
Contacted for a comment, Opposition parliamentarian and economist Irfaan Ali pointed out that clearly, the refutation by the government is far from reality.
He also noted that the issue goes far beyond the bloating of the contractual employment.
“For a matter of fact, not only is there a significant increase in contractual employment, there is also significant increases in salaries. What is important to note is that there is no indication of the new positions created and the process utilised by government in filling those positions. What structure of salary was used in determining the pay-scale against their qualifications,” Ali stated.
Switching to the his political cap, the former government minister declared that this move by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition administration is insulting to the public sector workers who were denied wage increases this year.
“The public servants did not get their promised increases and for us to hire contractual employees at such a significant number and paying them outside of the pay-scale; what does that say. Persons who were working for a number of years who did not benefit from any major increases but persons are now entering the system as contractual employees and they are enjoying super-salaries,” Ali posited as he exposed the discriminatory approach being practiced by the government.

Memory-lane
In April 2012, APNU Parliamentarian Carl Greenidge had accused the then government of systematically destroying the public service by increasing the number of contract workers and paying them “fat-cat” salaries.
APNU Parliamentarian Basil Williams had also argued that government was spending exorbitant amounts to pay contract workers and demanded that the practice be ceased immediately.
In the same year, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) stated that the practice is “illegal” and should immediately come to a halt. The Union also posited that all employees should be employed within the Public Service structure and remunerated in a fair and even manner receiving equal pay for work of equal value consistent with Government’s undertaking and obligations.
Notably, APNU Joseph Harmon shortly after his government assumed office in May, committed his government to reviewing the employment of contract workers in light of the fact that they are paid a higher salary than public servants.
“We will review these as a matter of policy. We said we were going to review them and it is just a matter of time before we do so…A day has already passed; this is day one; we have 99 days left to deliver on these promises,” Harmon had stated.
In its review of this year’s Budget – Budget Focus 2016 – Ram and McRae Chartered Accounting firm highlighted that the coalition Government had almost doubled the number of contract employees over the past months.
But government was quick to rebuff the information and accused the media of misleading the public.
Natural Resources Minister and Government spokesperson Raphael Trotman explained that the number was high because at the time the Budget was being prepared there were several Ministries and State agencies under the Ministry of the Presidency, some of which have since branched out independently.
“So this is why you would see what appears to be a jump, but as I said, there has not been this mass hiring of people (but) because of the bundling and the new functions of the Ministry of the Presidency… It is not that this Government has gone out and hire hundreds of people because it feels it wants to do so,” he outlined.
He went on to say that when the APNU/AFC Administration took office in May 2015, there was a total of 375 staff at the Office of the President, but this figure was since reduced to 325 as of January 2016.
“Depending on how you look at statistics, you will always have a different view,” the Minister stated.
State Minister Joseph Harmon also weighed in on the controversy, explaining that the Ministry of the Presidency comprised the Office of the President, the Ministry of Social Cohesion and the Ministry of Citizenship, and still included the Public Service Department, along with accompanying departments such as the General Register Office, Immigration, E-Governance, the National Community Development Council and also the Ministry of Natural Resources, which only recently branched off.
He noted that as of January 2016, the Public Service Department, previously the Public Service Ministry, had a total of 50 staff; the Department of Natural Resources, 58; the Ministry of Citizenship, 141 and E-Governance, 69.