The government will continue to uphold the rights and improve the social and economic conditions of local workers, President Dr. Irfaan Ali affirmed.
The president also promised more disposable income, additional healthcare grants, lower water and electricity charges, and easier homeownership with reduced interest rates.
He gave this assurance during an address at a labour brunch held at State House in Georgetown on Sunday.
“From the earliest days, our party’s primary concern was to improve the circumstances of the working class, not just through better industrial and working conditions but also through enhanced economic and social well-being. Throughout every era in our country’s history, since those early days, the PPP has worked tirelessly to ensure respect for the democratic rights of the Guyanese people, improvement in their social conditions, and economic empowerment,” Dr. Ali stated.
He highlighted that through these empowerment efforts, the party has maintained a special relationship with organised labour, recognising trade unions as vital social partners and highly valued stakeholders in the country’s economic history.
Dr. Ali emphasised that it was during Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s presidency that the basic dignity of Guyanese workers was restored. After three decades of impoverishment, then-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo laid the foundation for sustainable economic empowerment, aimed at improving citizens’ well-being.
The president pledged that he would build on the progress made by his predecessors.
“Building on the foundation laid by previous presidents, it will be my honour to ensure that during my presidency, Guyanese workers will finally achieve a level of comfort and prosperity comparable to anywhere else in the world,” Dr. Ali declared.
He noted that significant advancements have already been achieved over the last four years.
These include across-the-board pay increases of 46.2 per cent for the public sector between 2021 and 2025, the reinstatement of the one-month bonus for members of the disciplined services, a reduction in income tax rates from 28 per cent and 40 per cent to 25 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively, and the doubling of the income tax threshold from $65,000 in 2020 to $130,000, benefiting over 60,000 workers nationwid
