PPP/C to launch 2025 election campaign, manifesto next month

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has assured public servants that they would receive the eight per cent salary increase for 2025 before the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1.
This increase was part of a two-year agreement signed between the Guyana Government and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) in December 2024.
“It’s going to be before [September]… It doesn’t make sense you pay the public servants after,” Jagdeo told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
He said Senior Minister with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, should already be putting systems in place for the pay-out.
That December 2024 deal, which also saw employees in the public sector benefitting from a 10 per cent retroactive salary increase last year that has already been paid out, came after extensive discussions and negotiations between the Finance Ministry and the GPSU.
In fact, the GPSU earlier this month lauded the renewed tone of engagement under the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.
In a statement on June 8 to commemorate its 102nd anniversary, the GPSU named the December 2024/5 multi-year agreement among its recent wins, adding that it lays the foundation for ongoing improvements in working conditions and signals a renewed commitment to constructive engagement and public sector reform.
“We must also mention that since the appointment of Dr Ashni Singh as Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance and Public Service, there has been a noticeable shift towards a more respectful and constructive relationship with the GPSU,” the Union had stated, adding that “This renewed tone of engagement is promising and, if sustained, could lead to meaningful progress and a stronger partnership in addressing the needs of public servants.”
Under the PPP/C government, public servants, teachers, members of the Disciplined Services, and government pensioners have benefited, cumulatively, from annual salary increases to the tune of 46 per cent between 2021 and 2025. This includes 7 per cent in 2021, 8 per cent in 2022, and 6.5 per cent in 2023.
Meanwhile, in addition to salary increases, the government also announced that public servants in grades 1 to 6, with a minimum of four years of service, will be moved to the midpoint of their current scale, resulting in salary increases of up to 13 per cent for some employees. Those with a minimum of eight years of service within Grades 1 to 6 will be moved to the maximum of their scale, leading to salary increases of up to 26 per cent.
Additionally, public servants in Grades 7 to 8 with at least four years of service in their current scale will be eligible for an additional monthly amount equivalent to the nominal difference between the minimum and midpoint of Grade 6, providing increases of up to 11 per cent.
Also announced were qualification allowances to incentivise education and professional development, effective January 1, 2025, and other specific allowances. It noted too that the public servants on secondment will also receive a $35,000 monthly housing allowance, as well as increases in risk, motor car and travel allowances.
These announcements were made by President Irfaan Ali while addressing ranks of the Guyana Police Force on December 11, 2024. In fact, the Disciplined Forces were not left out, as they also benefited from increases to housing and risk allowances last year.
Minister Singh had previously described 2024 as a landmark year for industrial relations in the public sector, with a number of historic multi-year agreements concluded.
Apart from the GPSU agreement, a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also inked between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education, following months of highly-tense negotiations and a standoff that included months of strike action by teachers last year.
The three-year agreement from 2024 to 2026 for salary increases and other benefits for teachers outlines a 10 per cent increase for 2024, an 8 per cent increase in 2025, and a 9 per cent increase in 2026. There is also an adjustable clause which stipulates that if a higher percentage increase is announced for the general public service, teachers will also benefit from the difference.
Moreover, the government was also able to reach an agreement with the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) for a historic three-year agreement that mirrors the same salary increases as the GTU deal.