PRESS BRIEFING

Wednesday, November 17 2004

A G E N D A

•  CONTRACTS
•  APPOINTMENTS
•  CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENTS
•  WAGES/SALARY DISPUTE 2004
•  OFFICIAL GAZETTE: CORRECION
•  SCHOOL ADMISSION CIRCULAR
•  GUYANA SECURITIES COUNCIL
•  NATIONAL PROCUREMENT AND TENDER BOARD ADMINISTRATION

Wages/Salary Dispute 2004

With Christmas preparations on the horizon, there has been a move by the Guyana Public Service Union to energise the deadlock dispute on wages and salary increase for 2004 for Traditional Public Servants.

PSM, the Agency responsible for the discussion with the GPSU has in a most roundabout way, been advised about a meeting and invited to resume the deadlock negotiations.

With about one month to go before December payday and really with less than one month to prepare for the submission from Ministries, Regions, Departments and Agencies 2004 increases, the Union is now seeking to break the deadlock.

The Administration cannot negotiate with itself on behalf of its employees. The Administration with or without Union representation, will honour its commitment to its employees to prevent the erosion of the wages by maintaining its real value.

APPOINTMENTS

President Bharrat Jagdeo, on November 1 st , 2004 appointed Mr. Lawrence Williams to act as the Governor of the Bank of Guyana.

The long serving Ms. Dolly Singh retired on the previous Friday and proceeded on a well-deserved retirement.

GUYANA SECURITIES COUNCIL

The Guyana Securities Council has been reconstituted with the appointment of Mr. L. Glen and Ms. L. Gossai to replace Drs. Rawana and Ganga .

The two incumbents Chairman Brian James and Brymore Pollard will continue to serve.

NATIONAL BOARD PROCUREMENT AND TENDER ADMINISTRATION

The Central Tender Board has been statutorily replaced by the National Board Procurement and Tender Administration established under the Procurement Act 2003.

The Board consists of five (5) public officers -

Finance Secretary (ag), the Deputy Finance Secretary, the Head, Project Cycle Unit, Ministry of Finance, Chief Administrative Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an engineer from the Ministry of Public Works and Communication

Mr. John Seeram and Mr. David Yankana are the two Private Sector Representatives.

CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT

The PPP/C Administration has continued its efforts to have the outstanding issues, emanating from the paused Constructive Engagement, addressed, grasping at those available opportunities arising from the visit of Ex-President Carter and seemingly embraced by the Opposition PNCR. The administration has made repeated and diligent effort to re engage the PNCR, even initially to appoint a representative.

So far, all efforts have been fruitless. It would seem that the PNCR, in its own demonstration of the reality of a lack of faith, is insisting that the PPP/C Administration perform certain confidence building acts prior to any such re-engagement.

Surprisingly, the PNCR demands for actions dealt with the very issues the PPP/C Administration has identified as outstanding issues for which the re-engagement is aimed.

The PNCR has refused to name its representative to the re-engagement and is yet to respond to the PPP/C Administration latest offer for the President and the Leader of the Opposition to meet during the initiation of the re-engagement.

OFFICIAL GAZETTE: CORRECTION

Guyana National Printers has a monopoly as the printing/publication of Official Gazette.

Much of the printing is supported by modern technology.

The printing of certain annual notices is done by resort to reusable templates with the appropriate date change.

In the instance of the Deepavili publication under Minister Gajraj's signature, the management of the National Printers has confirmed that the date on the existing template was changed upon receipt of the instruction to publish but Minister Teixeira's name as the issuing authority was not inserted as the acting Minister of Home Affairs.

The errors has been corrected as will be noted in the next issue of the Gazette.

SCHOOL ADMISSION CIRCULAR

Arising from the Cabinet/Ministerial outreaches and other sources, Cabinet examined the impact of students' unavailability of birth certificates and their absence from school.

It was noted that parents blame school authorities for refusing their children entry into schools when they fail to produce birth certificates.

Cabinet has instructed the Ministry to re-issue and enforce the policy that school age children are not to be refused entry into schools on account of their non-possession of birth certificates.

In the meanwhile, Government is pressing on with the building of multi-purpose centres to decentralise issuance of birth certificates and in hinterland locations, conducting special exercised to provide birth certificates to Guyanese.