Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called on unions representing public servants to accept his government’s “final offer” for the settlement of long overdue back pay.
The unions want three months salary with no deductions, but Browne says his government can only afford to pay two months.
He estimated that the two months payment to the thousands of civil servants owed would run in the region of 75 million dollars.
“We don’t have the money. That is the reality,” said Browne, who is also Minister of Finance.
“What we are trying to do here is make this good faith payment so at least we can move forward and forget about all the arrears that were not honoured by previous administrations.”
“So we said to them ‘look, we’ll give you one month’. They [in turn] said three. And we’ve now come up with a final offer of two months,” the Prime Minister told Pointe FM.
He urged for common sense to prevail because to, “push us to three months… we cant pay it because we don’t have it.”
“So again, I just hope they will exercise some level of restraint and to understand that what my government is trying to do here is resolve an outstanding issue,” he added.
Negotiations for salary increases are running alongside negotiations to clear the outdated back pay still owed to civil servants.
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I remember during the 2014 campaign season the ABLP took some $500,00 from an investor and payed Barbuda councel workers while They where in opposition🤔 I wonder how much money they spent in the last election just gone🤔 I wonder if it could have helped to pay some of that backpay. Well they cared so much about the Barbuda councel members then don’t they care about the civil servants here now?
Two months salary would be a good negotiated agreement!
posted this before but repeat this to yourself
“…………. In asking for 3 months Civil Servants accept they loose some 6 years of outstanding salaries. So lets put your statement into context……Put yourself in the frame HYPOTHETICALLY YOUR current employer owes YOU XCD 20,000 YOU after hearing the plight say to them XCD 10,000 at staggered payments is acceptable and YOUR employer turns and says NO TAKE XCD 2,000 FINAL PAYMENT. Though hypothetical this IS the context of this situation.”
Hmmm…. union should have said four then maybe he would have settled with 3! When I heard Melford talking about outside debt servicing vs paying our public servants what is rightfully theirs, it really made me wonder about where our priority lies. Charity begins at home! How come we could find money to pay off IMF before the loan was due and now we can’t find money to pay our own people? Most, if not all, of the money would remain here in our economy so I really don’t see the need for this back and forth! It’s the people’s money!!! U should be paying interest after all those years!! It’s not a favour you’re granting them. It’s their money and they need it now!!! Cha man PM!!! You know nobody clda owe u and try bullyrag you to take less than ur owed!!! Is so dunce an fooley u really have ur ppl?!! Bout we can’t afford it… that’s so laughable that it’s not funny.
First off all the government is not obliged to pay back pay. They can hold it indefinitely. What we gonna do strike? Two months salary is a very good proposal and the public servants should accept it. I am. Here wondering if another party has won the 2018 general elections if the president of the workers association would be talking now. She would have Cheese and peanut butter with a little crazy glue in her mouth.
“not obliged” Apparently you do not understand industrial relations
People done dead and are owed and whenever whatever is AGREED to is paid the dead via their estate will be paid……smh
So… To go to work and not get paid for your labour. Is that not slavery….I thought them days where over.!!!
Pay the two months and negotiate a timeline of paying the final month. You just got five more years so am sure you being a financial whiz can find a way of paying it all. Why do you insist on holding on to the people money or better yet why are you refusing to give the people their full amount. Btw What’s gonna happen to that money you keep?
Why did the other past adminastrations not pay them?? Especially the “God send” ones. Old people have a saying “half a loaf better than none” sometime you people so damn ungraetful.
Do we all.speak with authority or just babbling… I would certainly take my two months money and make sure there’s an agreement for the balance owed… Sanford workers that UPP neva pay get de ress…
From my understanding In asking for 3 months Civil Servants accept they loose some 6 years of outstanding salaries. So lets put your statement into context……Put yourself in the frame HYPOTHETICALLY YOUR current employer owes YOU XCD 20,000 YOU after hearing the plight say to them XCD 10,000 at staggered payments is acceptable and YOUR employer turns and says NO TAKE XCD 2,000 FINAL PAYMENT. Though hypothetical this IS the context of this situation.
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