{"id":260409,"date":"2025-12-04T17:01:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T21:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=260409"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:02:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T21:02:47","slug":"60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/","title":{"rendered":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Public servants will receive another round of retroactive wage payments this month, Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Thursday, as the government continues clearing longstanding arrears owed to workers across the public sector.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Browne made the statement during the presentation of the 2026 national budget, highlighting the administration\u2019s efforts to settle outstanding obligations and restore confidence in the government\u2019s payroll system. He said more than $60 million in retroactive wages<\/strong> has already been paid since 2022, with a further payout now underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince 2022, our administration has cleared over $60 million in retroactive wages owed to public servants,\u201d Browne told Parliament. \u201cLater this month, we will make a further payment, ensuring that every eligible worker, including those who left the public service before December 2022, receives what is rightfully theirs.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Prime Minister said clearing the arrears reflects the government\u2019s commitment to fairness and responsible governance, adding that workers should never have to wait years for money owed to them. He described the decision to prioritize retroactive payments as an example of \u201ccaring leadership.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Browne said the arrears stemmed from previous administrations and years of stalled wage negotiations, but added that his government has \u201cfaced the responsibility head-on\u201d and is determined to prevent the buildup of future back pay. As part of the reform effort, the wage negotiation process is being restructured to ensure timely settlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prime Minister linked the retroactive payments to the country\u2019s broader fiscal turnaround, citing surpluses and stronger revenue performance that have given the government room to meet its obligations. He said the administration will continue to honor its commitments to workers, pensioners and retirees as the economy expands.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The budget debate resumes next week, when ministers are expected to provide more details on payroll reforms and the timeline for completing outstanding payments.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Public servants will receive another round of retroactive wage payments this month, Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Thursday, as the government continues clearing longstanding arrears owed to workers across the public sector. Browne made the statement during the presentation of the 2026 national budget, highlighting the administration\u2019s efforts to settle outstanding obligations and restore confidence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":260410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Public servants will receive another round of retroactive wage payments this month, Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Thursday, as the government continues clearing longstanding arrears owed to workers across the public sector. Browne made the statement during the presentation of the 2026 national budget, highlighting the administration\u2019s efforts to settle outstanding obligations and restore confidence […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\"},\"wordCount\":305,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\",\"name\":\"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"Back Pay Retroactive Pay Image\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come","og_description":"Public servants will receive another round of retroactive wage payments this month, Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Thursday, as the government continues clearing longstanding arrears owed to workers across the public sector. Browne made the statement during the presentation of the 2026 national budget, highlighting the administration\u2019s efforts to settle outstanding obligations and restore confidence […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come","datePublished":"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/"},"wordCount":305,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/","name":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png","datePublished":"2025-12-04T21:01:17+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-04T21:02:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ChatGPT-Image-Dec-4-2025-05_58_26-PM.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"Back Pay Retroactive Pay Image"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/60-million-spent-on-backpay-since-2022-and-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"$60 million spent on back pay since 2022 and more to come"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260409"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260412,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260409\/revisions\/260412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/260410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}