Dear Editor,
I write to formally bring to the attention of the public, the political parties, the GECOM Chairman, Commis-sioners and the Government of Guyana the serious issues and concerns affecting the permanent staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The men and women employed at GECOM are responsible for preparing citizens’ identification cards and ensuring that the electoral system functions smoothly. Although most permanent staff do not work during elections, they remain essential to the daily operations and integrity of the Commission.
Permanent staff continue to face victimization, harassment, and unfair treatment. When concerns are raised to upper management, they are often ignored, and supervisors continue, in some cases, with abusive and discriminatory behaviour. This has created an unsafe, demoralizing, and stressful working environment. It appears that there are two sets of rules applied to staff: one for favoured employees and another for the rest. While some are allowed to act freely without consequence, others are disciplined, victimized, or denied opportunities without justification.
Some of the key issues include:
Unfair Promotions and Favouritism
At the Bartica office, after the Registration Officer’s contract was not renewed, a junior staff was promoted to the position.
At the New Amsterdam office, the least qualified Assistant Registration Officer was promoted to Registra-tion Officer.
At Nouvelle Flanders, a Registration Officer’s contract was allegedly not renewed because they held a second temporary job at the Bureau of Statistics, while other Registration Officers with additional employment or businesses remain on staff.
Inconsistent Application of Rules
At Coldingen, a Registration Officer’s contract was allegedly not renewed because an applicant was registered after the registration period ended.
At Mahaicony, a Registration Officer reportedly commenced registering an applicant after closing hours and completed the registration the following day. In another incident he registered an applicant, did not submit the form and proceeded to send staff to retrieve the triplicate copy from the applicant’s home.
At Fort Wellington, an Assistant Registration Officer was allegedly instructed to complete a registration using a copied document, which is against GECOM protocol.
Unequal Access to Time-Off
A recent memorandum states that staff must provide proof to be granted two hours’ time-off to write to the CEO. Yet, while some staff are denied time-off, others are freely allowed to leave the office, highlighting unequal treatment.
Lack of Pension and Retirement Benefits
The former CEO and Personal Assistant had compiled pension and retirement packages and invited insurance companies to present options. All proposals were voted down by the Commission. Other semi-autonomous bodies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Audit Office, and the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority have pension or retirement provisions. At GECOM, permanent staff have no such benefits, except for management staff who are contracted and receive gratuity payments every six months. This creates a serious imbalance and uncertainty for long-serving employees.
I respectfully request that these matters be urgently investigated. There is sufficient evidence and documentation to support these claims, and many staff members are prepared to verify the issues outlined, as well as additional concerns. Permanent staff are asking only for fairness, transparency, and equal treatment. We deserve respect, job security, and recognition for the critical role we play in maintaining Guyana’s democratic processes.