…protests will not prompt any review – Minister Westford ?“What protests? I am not aware of any protests,” was the reaction of the Public Service Minister, Jennifer Westford, when asked if Government was prepared to review the five per cent increase for employees in the public sector in face of the widespread protests and outright rejection of the offer.The recent protest at Office of the President.The Minister said that she was unaware of any protests and if in fact there are any, then it is a right of citizens.According to the Minister, she is unaware of any plans to review the proposed five per cent increase. She added that this is not how a government operates.Government,Nike Air Max Cheap Wholesale, she said,Aaron Lynch Jersey, is not going to review the five per cent proposal because of any protests and added that the workers should, in fact, be happy with the increase.She said that workers need to understand that Government is proposing what it can afford.Minister Westford said that the workers should be happy because Guyana is one of the few countries in the world that has been offering any salary increases to its public servants.She said that Government has been consistently giving its public servants increases on an annual basis.Minister Westford posited that if one were to take a look at several countries in the Caribbean and further afield, workers are in fact being laid off and some have had to take pay cuts in order to keep their jobs.“We can’t give what we don’t have,” said Minister Westford and urged that workers be more understanding of the prevailing economy not just in Guyana but across the world.Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, had announced that Government will be giving public service workers an increase in pay for 2013.This payout, he said, would be retroactive and is not likely to exceed five per cent.The announcement has since been met with a spate of protests,Wholesale Shoes China, initially by nurses and the Guyana Public Service Union.The placard bearing nurses have been using their lunch hour to demonstrate against the proposed five per cent increase.On Friday, last, there was another demonstration outside of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) as well as in Linden.GPSU representative,Cheap Authentic Dallas Cowboys Jerseys, Kempton Alexander, told Kaieteur News that it was decided by staffers at an internal meeting held at the hospital last Thursday that the protest will go on until their demands are met.If the government continues to neglect public servants,Air Force Scontate, Alexander said that the health care workers will down tools.“The staff at the hospital will be protesting for two hours every day instead of one. Those who are on lunch break from 11-12:00hrs will come out and support us while the ones who get their break from 12-1:00hrs will join us later,Adidas Shoes Clearance Sale,” Alexander stressed.Dave Parasram,Nike Air Max 90 Danmark, an orthopedic technician at GPHC said, “Five percent is nothing. When you collect your salary, pay your rent and bills you have nothing left and when they give you the five percent they take back three percent in tax.”Another staff member at the health institution told Kaieteur News that it is time the President do something for his people. “Did we make a mistake by selecting Ramotar as our leader? Is he sleeping? Who really is running this country,” the protesters queried.At another protest held outside Office of the President last week, another GPSU representative told this publication that the disgruntled public service employees have vowed that they will not allow Government to turn a bread and butter issue into a political one.Jermaine Hermonstine, the Industrial Relations Officer for GPSU, said that they are calling for the government to pay what was approved in Parliament, and not the five percent recently announced by Dr. Luncheon.The protest action followed a similar exercise the previous day at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.According to the GPSU official, this is but the beginning of the protest action and the union intends to intensify its efforts.Hermonstine said that GPSU is demanding that the Government pay the 15 per cent increase that was voted for in Parliament earlier this year.“Five per cent is a fraction of what was passed at Parliament and it is a right that we deserve,” Hermonstine said.