Home News Govt’s part-time workers: VP rejects claims of political coercion, reaffirms focus on...
Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has firmly rejected claims that part-time Government employees are being coerced into attending political events or threatened with job termination based on their political affiliations.
Addressing the issue during a recent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference, the VP clarified the role and purpose of the part-time work initiative.
“The thing is that you have 15,000 part-time workers in the country. We have had great support from the part-time workers in many state agencies. They’ve helped out enormously in schools, in hospitals, different agencies at the NDC (Neighbourhood Democratic Council) level… and it was to build a work ethic and it helped a lot of women, a lot of single parents”.
“I don’t know of anybody who has been forced to come to any meeting or alternately, who will be fired because of a political purpose,” the VP said.
While assuring the programme’s integrity, the VP emphasised that the Government remains committed to fairness. He shared an example of a pregnant woman from Crabwood Creek who was facing termination due to health complications that limited her mobility. Upon learning of the situation, Jagdeo said he intervened. “I told the regional officials to let her keep the job. It’s not like she’s deliberately avoiding work—her circumstances require more rest. We must show compassion.”
More than 15,000 persons have been gainfully employed through the Government’s part-time jobs initiative to date, and this would cost the Government some $10 billion annually.
The initiative has allowed for one person per household to work in public offices near their homes for 10 days per month and earn $40,000, paving the way for persons to sustain themselves as they seek out more permanent employment.
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, the VP acknowledged that while the decentralised monitoring of these workers—largely managed through NDCs and local Government bodies—can make it difficult to track every case, there is no policy or directive requiring staff to participate in political activities.
Jagdeo noted, however, that there have been instances of individuals who abuse the programme.
“But a lot of people in this country, when they don’t perform and they get measures, they claim political discrimination. So, I hope they get terminated. If you’re not working and delivering on the job, then you should lose it. If you’re not showing up and just collecting the money,” he added.
The part-time jobs initiative is one on a menu of measures implemented by the Government to cushion the effects of the cost of living.
The Government has been on an aggressive drive to achieve its objective of 50,000 new jobs for Guyanese, and this initiative has been part and parcel of the aim.
