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Reginald Dumas, former head of the public service.

Retired head of the public service Reginald Dumas wants trade unionists to say what is their counterproposal to the four per cent being offered by the government to public-sector workers for the period 2014 to 2019.

The Amalgamated Workers Union has already accepted the offer.

Public Services Association (PSA) president Leroy Baptiste said last week, “The figures Imbert has touted as to what it would cost to settle negotiations with the PSA is an increase in the annual expenditure of $500 million and the total back pay to settle with my people is $2.4 billion up to June 2023.

“I am comfortable with that. Tell the minister I want to sign that. Forget the four per cent offer. I want it in black and white.”

Baptiste said he wanted to be clear that the union did not accept the four per cent offer, but would have been “quite willing” to accept the figures quoted by Imbert since those figures, “if divided equally among our $15,000 members, worked out to an average increase of approximately $2,800 monthly per worker and, to each of them, $160,000 in backpay.

“This surpasses the 19 per cent increase counter proposed by the PSA”

He accused Imbert of presenting “outlandish figures” which had the effect of misleading people and the further demonisation of public officers.

The other major trade unions are also still rejecting the four per cent.

In his 2023 budget presentation on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the government could not afford to offer public sector workers more than four per cent at this time. He is hopeful trade unions will eventually accept it.

On Friday, Dumas told Newsday, “The government is saying it cannot afford more than a four per cent increase with backpay.

“The unions have put their noses up in the air and said they reject it. But I have not heard, seen or read any counter proposals.”

He added, “If you do not want the four per cent and you want more money, indicate to us where this money coming from, not only now to pay yuh backpay, but to pay you down the road as well, because once yuh salary gone up, it gone up.

“So you are getting backpay for a number of years, increased salary down the road, which will lead to increased pensions as well. Where is this money coming from?”

Dumas said he is by no means attacking the trade unions, “But I just want to hear from them what proposals they have for the country to meet the increased salaries.”

Dumas said once salaries increase, the merchants will inevitably raise their prices on goods and services.

“So the cost of living goes up even higher. The cost of living will affect everybody, including public servants and the rest of us who are not public servants, or retired from the unions. They will get hit hard as well.”

Dumas said while trade union leaders are free to march and protest as it is all part of the democratic process, they must also be mindful of the country’s economic circumstances. He said the country is still reeling from the effects of covid19 over the past two and a half years.

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[PG 19] FILE PHOTO: An fire services tender takes part in the Independence Day parade at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on August 31.

The leaders of different protective service associations say they are not optimistic that an increase in the allocation for the national security budget would make any significant difference for their membership.

During his Budget 2022/2023 presentation in Parliament on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced that national security agencies will receive $5.798 billion for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

This is $134 million more than last year, when $5.664 billion was allocated.

For this fiscal year, national security received the third largest allocation behind education and skills training, which received $7.453 billion, and the health sector, which received $6.892 billion.

Contacted for comment president of the TT Police Service Social Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) ASP Gideon Dickson said police officers felt frustrated over the proposed four per cent salary increase offered.

He added that most officers felt their sacrifices during the covid19 pandemic went unnoticed and felt the government should do better to seek the well-being of the police.

“I feel the load on the police just keeps being placed on us and I feel there is no true recognition and there’s no effort to ensure the police are properly.

“It’s like you have a job to do they just want you to go out and do it, they don’t care how you do it.

“It’s becoming increasingly frustrating for the men and women in the blue and grey and its becoming more difficult and we still operating in difficult situations.

“The police we believe a lot more could be done for us and we’re not feeling the efforts of those in authority and I look at how hard we would have worked over the two-year period during the pandemic.”

Dickson also questioned how much of the last allocation for national security was spent on equipping police officers.

He said, while he understood that service providers for the police would have to be paid, he stressed that officers’ well-being was also a priority.

Newsday attempted to contact acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob for comment but he was unavailable.

Newsday also spoke to president of the Prison Officers Association (POA) Ceron Richards who said, while he hoped part of the allocation would go towards upgrading the prison service’s fleet of vehicles, he was not optimistic that would be done.

Asked about his thoughts on the increase in allocation for national security, Richards said most budgets have usually had the same outcome for prison officers.

“First and foremost, whether they do big budgets or small budgets we usually don’t get anything.

“Our fleet of vehicles has been outdated since 2010. We need 60 to 80 vehicles and we are hoping that allocations are made to treat with that.

“We would hope that salary negotiations be completed and the four per cent is not what we want to see.

“We would hope that government rethinks that offer so we can return to proper principles in collective bargaining where we sit and discuss issues and come to some reasonable understanding.

“That’s a dictatorial hand-me-down approach where the government, through the office of the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), is dictating to the protective services that they should take it or leave it.”

Newsday also spoke to acting Prisons Commissioner Deopersad Ramoutar who admitted while the prison service was in need of resources, he was pleased with the increase in the national security budget.

“I think that it’s a step in the right direction for us.

“The priority of any government is to ensure the safety of its citizenry, so that effort should always be commended.

“I can say the prison service is quite in need of a lot of resources, so I look forward to them entertaining our proposals when that time comes.”

President of the Fire Officers Association Leo Ramkissoon said he was not optimistic that the well-being of fire officers would be served for this fiscal year, noting that while the police and defence force were mentioned during Imbert’s presentation, the fire service was left out.

Noting that Imbert made mention of attracting foreign investment, while preserving local assets, Ramkissoon said the fire service was critical in the preservation of property and disaster response operations and should be seen as a priority agency.

“I heard not one word that suggested anything for the fire service. I am only left to assume there are plans but there are no indications of the minister’s discourse on how he plans to address the myriad of issues affecting the fire service.

“We heard things about all the other sectors, other law enforcement agencies but I heard nothing about the fire service.

“I heard the minister made mention of safety and security for investors and I want to remind the minister and all and sundry that the fire service plays an integral role in responding not just to fires but natural disasters as well to save lives.”

He said a major issue for fire officers was the availability of adequare protective equipment and firefighting tools.

He said while salary negotiations were also important officers’ safety on the field was a bigger priority.

“You can have the best salary in the world but drinking and inhaling toxic smog is an act of suicide because we are working in an environment that guarantees death if you’re not prepared.”

Newsday contacted Chief Fire Officer Arnold Bristo for comment on the budget but he declined, saying he preferred to read it and respond at a later time.

In his presentation, Imbert highlighted several plans for different branches of national security including the installation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at regiment camps across TT and an electrical upgrade for the coast guard’s on shore facilities.

He also said that efforts to introduce a biometric system for police officers was underway which would allow officers to access information while on the field.

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Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere has chided organisers of a sustainable food consultation over the absence of his Permanent Secretary and some other key officials from the event.

The Minister said he received information that they did not get an official invitation.

“I am very unhappy this morning and I will be frank and straight to the point that we cannot have an activity like this and my Permanent Secretary is not present,” Prospere told the event’s opening ceremony.

“I will not accept it and I will not tolerate it and I hope it does not happen again. Because he is the one coordinating the Ministry. I am the policy person taking decisions to the Cabinet,” the Dennery South MP told his audience.

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“When I see my PS is absent, my DPS is absent, there is no one from the Marketing Unit, my Director of Agricultural Services is absent – it tells me we are not ready yet,” the Minister declared.

He urged the organisers to never let that happen again.

“I am very unhappy and you have never seen me so unhappy since I became the Minister,” Prospere asserted.

Nevertheless, the Minister said it was an honour for him to be at the activity.

He described as timely, the food security consultation under the theme – ‘Can Helen Feed Herself?’

Prospere responded in the affirmative.

“Helen has been feeding herself many decades back. What we need to focus on is how we can ensure that Helen continues to feed herself, given the numerous challenges we face as a sector,” he observed.

In this regard, the Minister mentioned climate change over which Saint Lucia has no control but needs to implement measures to reduce its impact on the agriculture sector.

He also spoke of forest loss due to natural disasters and the matter of water security.

Additionally, Prospere disclosed that many farmers engage in seasonal agriculture.

But he said he would like to see more year-round farmers, asserting that people should never underestimate the food security crisis.

The Minister said food security always has to be high on his Ministry’s agenda.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that we work with the stakeholders to be able to meet our food security needs in Saint Lucia,” Prospere explained.

However, the Minister disclosed that every year Saint Lucia imports $1.6 million in food, a lot of which the country can grow.

“We have a problem and the problem is not a small problem or a minor problem, but it is a major problem that we must address,” he asserted.

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Marseille a pris provisoirement la tête du championnat en assommant 3-0, sans trop forcer, des Angevins encore fragiles lors du match d’ouverture de la 9e journée de Ligue 1, vendredi au stade Raymond-Kopa.

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