The Prisons and Fire Services are giving the Prime Minister a week to address the non-payment of the $1,000 special monthly allowances they say are due to them. The special allowance was first given to the police from 2010, and then to the Prisons and Fire Services in 2012. No retroactive payment was made to the latter.
The officers yesterday went to deliver a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, outlining their complaint. They were greeted by press secretary Francis Joseph.
Acting president of the Fire Service Association Second Division Ashton Cunningham said members of different services were given different treatment. “The Special Reserve Police are being paid the allowance, and the supplemental police are being paid the allowance, and the Auxiliary are not being paid the allowance, which exemplifies (that) they and Fire and Prisons are being paid differently to members of the Police Service. “Fire officers and prisons officers are being treated differently, this inequitable treatment must stop,” he said.
Cunningham said this issue had been raised before but the officers would be taking a stand which would result in something positive. “We are one unit and must be treated as such. It is long we have been waiting,” he said. President of the Prison Service Association Ceron Richards said members of both Fire and Prison Services would be inclined to take matters into their own hands until the situation was resolved.
Richards said the first level of unfair treatment was negotiations in 2010 in which Fire and Prisons Service were given a five per cent increase in salary while the police were given more. “If we fail today, the Government will find that prisons and fire won’t stand idly by. We are going to act. Their confidence is diminishing and it must be restored, and the Prime Minister has the ability to restore that level of confidence,” he said.
“We don’t know if this is the new mode in treating members of national security (forces), but this has become commonplace. We are here to correct that and if we are not given a response, Fire and Prisons are going to act differently. I don’t know if the PM and the Cabinet can control our actions. We are not going forward unless this uneven treatment is corrected immediately.”
Willing to meet
National Security Minister Gary Griffith said he was willing to meet with members of the Fire Service Association. “I believe that proper dialogue and communications is always more productive than protests and threats. It is unfortunate at this time, they it would be better if they came to me and voice their concerns.”
Griffith said he would rather handle issues over a table than deal with threats at a “picket line.” “I can’t speak for Prisons which falls on Ministry of Justice, but I am more than willing to meet with them,” he said. Griffith said their threats could do nothing more than discredit the image of our law enforcement agencies and the reputation and professionalism the public demands from them.
Justice Minister Emmanuel George said he met with the POA frequently and heard the subject mentioned before.
“We have spoken to them (POA) from time to time and the Ministry of Finance is to deal with them. That is part of the negotiations which is going on now and the CPO’s office,” he said.