Cash-strapped M&CC gives workers 10% salary increase

Workers of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council have benefited from a 10 per cent salary increase, five per cent of which will be retroactive to January 2021 and five per cent would be paid from January 2022. This increase is applied to workers across the board.
Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine on Wednesday announced the 10 per cent pay increase for all city employees.
“The Local Government Commission had written to us for the seven per cent increase like Central Government approved for public servants. However, the finance committee… had deliberated, and that is how we came up with the five per cent retroactive and five per cent for 2022… it is because of our revenue base. The city of Georgetown continues to struggle in terms of revenue collection,” Narine told reporters on Wednesday.

Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine

He stated that there were a number of entities which owe millions of dollars in property rates to the Council, and this is among the areas from where they were looking to generate revenue.
The Mayor noted that granting this increase to workers was a significant achievement since the City Council was financially constrained.
He explained that the Council’s budget is some $2.6 billion, but much more was needed for City Hall to effectively conduct its operations.
According to Mayor Narine, the money for the increase in wages will come from amnesty being granted for rates and taxes.
“The increase of revenue due to the amnesty that we called from December to March month end. Currently we have lots of application, and a lot of people are coming forward to pay their taxes….”, he said.
More than 600 workers stand to benefit. They last received an increase in their wages and salaries in 2018.
When asked if the rates and taxes would be increased later this year or next year to sustain the payment of those salary increases, the Mayor did not divulge any information, but rather said that any increase in rates would be decided by the Council.
“This money is already secured, and payments of these monies should be made before the 15th of this month…,” the Mayor stated.
He said City Hall has cleared about $80 million in union dues, but it still owed monies to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). (G9)