Show of good faith
Editorial
DESPITE the claims to the contrary, the government has come through on its promise to honour the award of the arbitration tribunal that examined the issue of more pay for public servants. The administration went to Parliament last Friday for the required approval for the supplementary provisions covering the $1.7 billion needed to pay public servants the 31.6 per cent increase for this year. We understand the eventual payout, including the hikes for next year, is estimated at several billion dollars and the major task for the government and its social and other partners is how to cushion the adverse impact and strains bound to flow from this development. The arbitration tribunal emerged from the agreement in late June between the government and the unions in the public sector to end an almost two-month strike for higher pay. The relief across the land was evident when that strike ended because it had become clear to most people that political elements were threatening to chart the industrial action away from the dispute over higher pay and into the arena of the tension-filled confrontations that had dogged the nation since the general elections of December 15, 1997. The government committed itself to putting the pay dispute to the tribunal and funded the work of the three-member body. In the end, the decision was not in the government's favour and there was controversy stemming from charges by the administration's member on the tribunal about the way the award was arrived at. In spite of these reservations, President Bharrat Jagdeo publicly committed the government to honouring the award, aware as he was of the implications. He canvassed the issue with international agencies supporting the economic restructuring programme here and there was no doubt about the seriousness of the intent of the government to meet the payout. There were those, however, who maintained charges that the government would try to dodge the commitment to meet the higher pay. Now those have been laid to rest with the parliamentary approval of the supplementary provisions to effect payment which is to begin tomorrow afternoon. Prime Minister Sam Hinds presented the House Friday with the relevant financial papers for consideration with $1,755,000,000 allocated to meet wages and salaries and related expenses of public servants, teachers, the Disciplined Services and other workers, pensioners and key and critical supplements to public servants. Mr. Hinds said he has been advised that 70 per cent of the money being sought will go directly for wages and salaries. National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pensioners are not included because they are treated by the NIS but there are provisions for government pensioners and old age pensioners, the Prime Minister explained. The payout is in train; now comes the hardest part of shaping the public sector to effectively deliver the goods required of it in a growing nation going into the 21st century. This would require all sides meeting their part of the bargain.
|