By Zena HenryWith a public workforce of approximately 250,000 staffers and only 50,000 being unionized, the country’s trade unionKenneth Josephbodies seem to be fighting an uphill battle on a gravel laden mountain when it comes to fighting for what they believe are meaningful wage/salary increases for public servants.That is one of the major hindrances to effectively representing public servants, Kenneth Joseph, General Secretary National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) opined. He explained to Kaieteur News yesterday that this phenomenon, which has resulted from past union actions, is taking a major toll on the representing bodies, especially when they do not have the financial capacity to support any actions of resistance. He said that “the numbers (members) must then count for something.”Joseph highlighted that Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has four unions which have approximately 35,000 members. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has about 14 unions, he continued, but they have about 15,000 members.“This accounts for about 50,000 workers out of a workforce of approximately 250,000.” This, Joseph said, is something the government understands, and he opined that it is not intimidated by any action that the unions might take, given the dynamic of the situation.The trade unionist said further that many workers are now employed on a contract basis which means that many of them do not have the security of the unions. In the public sector, he pointed out, there are many contract workers employed in sectors controlled by the government, “like GPL (Guyana Power and Light),Cheap NFL Jerseys China,” Joseph suggested.According to him,Wholesale Jerseys Authentic, what GPL has done is to get rid of the unionized workers and later rehired them on a contractual basis. Joseph said that the union advised the members not to collect any money being offered by the company, but they accepted the sums paid and opted to try their luck as contract workers with the power company or in other areas.The mobilization of union members is also a challenge for bodies, Joseph claimed. He said also that apart fromPatrick Yardemobilization,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Outlet, the contributions by members seem not to be adequate,jerseys nfl wholesale, given their numbers. This means too, that unions are not exactly equipped to finance certain actions because of low strength in that area.? Joseph opined therefore that for the interest of the members, the unions need to come together and show their strength in numbers, given its financial insufficiency.It has been opined by several trade unionists,Cheap Jerseys China, including the Guyana Public Service Union head Patrick Yarde, and TUC’s Lincoln Lewis, among others,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, that trade unionism is becoming a victim of political tactics.Kaieteur News was told that current issues facing trade unions can be traced back to battles fought in gaining benefits for members, some of which caused major dents in the unions finances, and to date, the agencies are unable to recover from.? Some of these past activities primarily include the strike against the effects of the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) and the GPSU’s 57-day strike.Joseph said, however, that a vast number of workers in the public service now prefer the contractual arrangements, and now these workers far outnumber the traditional public workers.According to the GPSU, for 13 years the government has been imposing a minor 5 percent increase on public servants. The union says that cannot work, since the increase does not cope with the cost of living. The government on the other hand, is saying it cannot afford to pay more.GPSU says that it is not willing to take it lying down this year, since the body was depending on President Donald Ramotar, who had assured that there would be no impositions this year. However, Yarde said there have been no discussions with the government, despite sending correspondence for the commencement of talks. Instead, he claimed, the government has imposed five and eight percent increases.Yarde said that public servants will accept an eight percent increase across the board as an interim payment. The union on Tuesday gave government 48 hours to commence bargaining talks and said that it would pronounce on the matter in one week. Yarde said he is ready to lead his members beyond the 57-day strike which the union called in 1997.