The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Tuesday signed a Collective Labour Agreement with the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), recognising it as the official representative body of its employees.
At the signing ceremony: GPSU President Patrick Yard, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle and Commissioner General Godfrey Statia
A collective labour agreement is a written contract negotiated between one or more unions and a company for their workers to be represented during disputes, wage increases and other matters. The document was signed by the two parties, with oversight from the Labour Department.
At the signing ceremony, President of the GPSU, Patrick Yarde indicated that this had been in the making for many years. Now, they are responsible for ensuring that the rights of these persons are upheld.
Commissioner General of GRA, Godfrey Statia indicated that over 500 employees are registered with the Union, accounting for about 40 per cent of the total human resource count. He said that this will benefit the welfare of workers of the semi-autonomous body.
“What it means for the GRA is that there is an additional level of representation for its staff and its members. Previously it used to be on an ad hoc basis, that only for Union members. Now, especially when you’re dealing with wages and salaries and working conditions, you will have one Union Head that you can talk to. You expect that there will be an improvement in workers’ welfare and efficiency,” Statia insisted.
According to him, the Union can now go on a ‘recruitment drive’ to add more persons to the list of members.
