Contract workers accounted for 75% of the cost of employment in the Granger administration for 2019
– Auditor General’s Report
Former President David Granger
Former President David Granger hired a total of 471 contract workers for 2019 with their remuneration accounting for 75% of the cost of employment for that year alone.
According to the Auditor General’s Report for 2019, amounts totaling $ 1.954 billion were budgeted for Employment Costs, while $ 1.938 billion was spent by the Presidency Administration. Included in the amount of $ 1.938 billion were amounts totaling $ 1.844 billion, expended for the wage payment.
2019 Employment Cost Analysis for 2019
The report outlined that “audit checks revealed that the sum of $ 1.375 billion, approximately seventy-five percent of total Employment Costs, was paid to employees who were employed on a contract basis.”
Furthermore, the 471 contracted workers represented approximately 51% of the 924 employees in December 2019.
The Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, also noted that a Public Services Commission (PSC) Circular dated February 7th, 2017 requires Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments and Regional Executives to submit a list of all contracted / gift appointed to the pensionable institution.
The AG highlighted that the 189 contracted workers were under 45 and should have transferred to the pensionable institution. Included in the 189 contracted workers, there were 102 employees who were contracted in December 2018, and should have been transferred to the permanent establishment.
In response to his allegations, the Head of the Presidency Administration Budget Agency stated that the transfer of staff to the pensionable institution was an ongoing process.
“The administration faces many challenges, as staff who have not met the requirements for transfer because of upgrading their qualifications, among other factors,” the report noted.
Guyana’s Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall noted in an invited comment on this revelation that “99% of those employees are political appointments.”
“They didn’t even need to be there and were not qualified. So we inherited a Public Service that was about four times what it should be, now how do you expect us to maintain that? ”He added.
In its recommendations, the Audit Office asked the Head of the Budget Agency to continue the process of moving its current qualified employees to the pensionable institution in accordance with circular directions.