Our Union, as we have done for the past few years, has used this platform to share our thoughts and views on the year that has gone by and to consider the prospects in the coming year. As we say goodbye to 2019 and get ready to welcome the dawn of a new year, we must appreciate that the last year has been remarkable on many fronts. Indeed, we recognize that the year has been filled with its fair share of challenges. It was a year when the previously unexpected became reality. And, it was a year that, though daunting at times, saw several successes as well. We of the GAWU have recognized that 2019 was eventful with many of these events going on to enrich our history. Undoubtedly, it will be a memorable year.
2019 began on an optimistic note as many felt that Constitutional democracy was alive and well in Guyana. There was hope that the Rule of Law would be upheld and there was confidence that our fledgling democratic culture was being further consolidated. Unfortunately, that optimism was short-lived and very early on we saw emerging questions that inevitably engaged the Courts. While those matters have been generally put to rest, it was a time-consuming and costly goose chase. There were also valid concerns about the independence of our institutions charged with safeguarding aspects of our democratic process. As we close this year, certain critical questions still linger and anxieties are still in the air.
Apart from the intrigues at the political level, concerns about the well-being of the ship of State have emerged. At the State level, there have been justifiable concerns about whether we are heading in the right direction; whether our resources are working in the interest of our people, and whether our earnings are being utilized prudently. As a workers’ organization, we cannot help but be both concerned and apprehensive. We remind that it is the working-people and their families who will be the biggest victims of policies that do not put people first.
As 2019 rolled on we were reminded of the budgetary projections whereby there has been pay rises to public sector workers. While this is welcome, this must be weighed against current realities. The Bureau of Statistics, for instance, advises that at the end of September, this year, food prices, the most significant expenditure of workers, went up by 6.3 per cent. In addition to food prices, we also saw workers having to pay more for water which rates went up by around 200 per cent over the last two (2) years. Such burdens must also be seen in the context of taxation of previously exempted good and services, increases in the cost of public transportation, and hiked costs for range of other essentials not excluding health services.
