Georgetown: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) hails the working class of the nation as Guyana observes International Labour Day 2013 tomorrow.
According to a statement by the party: “ History would show that the PPP has always worked towards advancing the cause of our labour movement in Guyana, including the fact that our party made May Day a national holiday in 1958.
May 1st 2013 reaches us in a very peculiar position as while many initiatives have been taken by the PPP/C to advance the cause of the working class in the 2013 budget, the AFC and APNU alliance have ganged up to deprive our workers of some of those benefits.
Following on from the benefits to workers included in its 2012 budget, the PPP/C Government has placed additional emphasis on the working class and vulnerable in the 2013 budget.
Significant gains for workers include a reduction in the PAYE tax by 3% which translates to a 3% increase in wages and salaries. Government has also committed to paying the 1% NIS increase for workers who earn 50,000 dollars or less. Provision was also made as in previous budgets to subsidize the electricity cost for consumers, particularly working class families. Sadly however, this has been cut by the AFC and APNU for everyone supplied by GPL and they now face a steep increase in their bills.
Working class families will also benefit through easier access to home loans and a tax refund on the taxable portion of the interest charged on those loans. Thousands of our hard working families will also save significantly after the Government increased the property tax threshold from 1.5M to 10 M dollars which ultimately means that scores of home owners will either no longer have to pay this tax or in cases where the value of property exceed 10M, will pay a significantly reduced amount.
These initiatives are all designed to empower the working class.
However, what is unfortunate is the fact that individuals in working class families who are affected by complicated health conditions, such as cancer, heart and kidney ailments and who cannot afford to travel overseas for treatment or operations have now been virtually condemned to a bleak future. The AFC and APNU have cut funding for the construction of the Specialty Hospital where the PPP/C Government had intended to ensure that Guyanese have access at a subsidized cost. This facility would have also provided the specialized training in these fields for our hundreds of doctors who are now returning from Cuba, with a view to expanding the provision of such services across our country and reducing the cost in years to come.
This is indeed another huge blow for the working class, even more so since job creation has also been threatened. Apart from the fact that slashing 31 billion dollars in critical projects will deny the creation of hundreds, if not thousands of jobs, it is worrying that a senior Private Sector official has admitted publicly that already three businesses which were intent on investing in Guyana are now having second thoughts based on the actions of the AFC and APNU.
A lack of job creation will ultimately see workers suffer.
On May Day 2013, the People’s Progressive Party calls on our opposition political parties to put their political interests and agenda aside and rather work towards advancing the interest and future of our working class in Guyana. The party also recognizes the role of our trade union movement in this initiative as they also need to put aside their differences and explain to their membership the harsh reality we face as a nation and the need for responsible measures in addressing their concerns.
Conditions for our working class are by no stretch of the imagination ideal, we continue to face many challenges such as the dwindling resources and production of the sugar industry. However, the PPP has always been committed towards providing support and guidance to address these challenges.
We will never give up on the working people of Guyana.
The continued growth of the middle class across our country is an indication that the policies and programmes of successive PPP/C Governments have been a success. This is evident in the significant expansion of material possession and the proliferation of a variety of businesses which cater for those needs. Small savings accounts for the average worker in the banking sector are at their highest levels, the demand for more vehicles and the expansion and creation of more housing schemes are all important indicators of this reality. The historic achievement of universal primary education under the PPP/C Government and efforts to achieve universal Secondary Education all go towards benefiting the children of the working class. Hundreds of children from working class families across the racial, political and geographical divide are now returning from Government scholarships, specializing in several fields and will not only play a part in improving the services provided to our citizens but they will also be empowering their families and serve as a catalyst for their development and improvement in standard of living.
This is the dream that is gradually being realized in Guyana and the People’s Progressive Party assures the Guyanese people that it will spare no effort to ensure it stays this way and all efforts to destabilize the foundation provided for our people, especially our working class to succeed will be resisted at all cost.”
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