The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has urged members to prepare for possible industrial action over delays in wage negotiations, while it is understood that the union will attend an October 27 meeting proposed by the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation.
The ministry has apologised for the delays, citing the travel commitments of its negotiating team. The meeting is proposed for 9 am in the ministry’s boardroom and will also address the check-off of union dues.
In a circular signed by President Patrick Yarde, the GPSU Executive Council called on members to remain on “high alert” as it prepared a final ultimatum demanding that the government meet it at the bargaining table.
The union said it was pursuing improved salaries, allowances and non-salary benefits for 2026 and 2027, alongside a review of the wages and conditions agreed for 2025.
“Be prepared to deploy industrial measures, up to and including the total withdrawal of labor, should the directive be issued by the Executive Council,” the circular instructed members.
It did not announce a strike date or direct an immediate withdrawal of labour. The union said it remained committed to a peaceful, negotiated settlement but would use lawful mechanisms to defend workers’ rights if meaningful engagement did not take place.
Members were urged to maintain contact with branch representatives, attend lunchtime meetings, support rallies and build community support.
The circular bears October 9, 2026, in its letterhead and September 7, 2026, in its internal date field.
According to the GPSU, it has submitted detailed wage proposals, repeatedly requested collective bargaining, issued reminders and ultimatums, and consulted regional branches.
The union argued that public servants’ remuneration should reflect rising living costs and the country’s economic growth. Unilateral increases and year-end payments, it maintained, could not substitute for good-faith negotiations.
“The GPSU refuses to accept the erosion of our members’ standard of living while national revenue continues to reach unprecedented heights,” it stated.
Correspondence between the parties, seen by Kiskadee Watch, outlines several exchanges over arrangements for talks.
In a September 8 letter, Permanent Secretary Dr Soyinka Grogan said the ministry was finalising its negotiating team. A commencement date would be communicated once all members were available, which she indicated was likely to be on or before September 18.
On October 9, responding to further union correspondence, Grogan apologised for the delay and proposed a meeting during the week beginning October 19, citing negotiating team members’ travel commitments.
The GPSU replied that proposing a particular week did not provide the certainty it had requested under the December 10, 2024 Memorandum of Agreement.
“One must recognize that good faith negotiations must always commence with certainty of what is being said and done, for the avoidance of any dispute,” the union wrote.
In that response, signed by First Vice-President Dawn Gardener on behalf of Yarde, the GPSU proposed Monday, October 19, at 1 pm in the ministry’s boardroom. It also offered to meet at another time during the week, except October 23, when it had another urgent commitment.
Grogan’s October 14 reply said the ministry could not confirm October 19 because its negotiating team would be returning from travel duties during that period. She instead proposed October 27 and requested the union’s confirmation.
The exchanges followed a September 7 protest letter in which the GPSU expressed “vehement displeasure and deep frustration” over delays and demanded an immediate start to negotiations.
The union also said it had separately asked Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh to review wage, salary and allowance increases for 2025.
Stabroek News reported in December 2024 that the government and GPSU had concluded a two-year agreement providing a 10 per cent salary increase retroactive to January 1, 2024, and an eight per cent increase for 2025. Grogan signed for the government and Gardener for the union.
That settlement followed years of disagreement over collective bargaining. In February 2024, the GPSU had issued an industrial action ultimatum demanding negotiations, citing its disputes agreement with the government, constitutional protections and trade union legislation.
Although it welcomed the December agreement as significant, the union subsequently maintained that public servants remained inadequately paid. Stabroek News reported in June 2025 that the GPSU said inflation was eroding real wages and criticised disparities between public servants’ remuneration and that of political officeholders.
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