Heads of the bargaining bodies representing the Fire, Police and Prisons Service are accusing Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Stephanie Lewis of reneging on already agreed guidelines for their salary negotiations, after earlier accepting the same guidelines in the case of another bargaining body. Speaking with reporters outside the CPO’s office on St Vincent Street, the fire, police and prison services representatives Leo Ramkissoon, Insp Anand Ramesar and Ceron Richards, respectively, said Lewis had agreed to include as a comparator the Airports Authority in determining new salaries.
However, they said, she is now saying this is invalid since the increase for officers at the Authority was not done by her but through the Ministry of Finance. A visibly upset Ramesar, who had met with Lewis earlier, said his officers came out to work during Carnival with certain promises and now “it is the worst day for police.” He added that he is now “daunted” having spent the better part of two hours meeting with Lewis. The men are requesting a 19 per cent wage increase using seven other institutions as their bargaining comparators for the past couple of years. The combined average they say was a 24 per cent wage increase and the three associations are asking for 80 per cent of that. The Government has, however, removed the Airports Authority from the comparative institutions, effectively reducing the combined average increase to 16.4 per cent and are offering 60 percent of that which equates to a 10 per cent wage increase.
Ramesar said, “One of our first efforts is to try and maintain law and order. We cannot have a Police Service that is going to be derailed by the failures of the CPO and the Minister of Finance to meet with fair terms and conditions. That stability is under threat under these salaries negotiations. The association and membership has no regrets for performing in the carnival seasons because we know the public loved us for it. But we are disappointed in relation to the subsequent responses.” All three associations said they could advise their membership to seek redress through lawful means but warned they could not instruct them to do anything. The heads added that they would not be divided and conquered and what applied to one association must apply to all when asked if any of them would be willing to accept the counter-offer from the CPO.
Richards said there was a market survey done which the CPO agreed to include as a basis for negotiations, an agreement which she was now reneging on. “There was a market shift that was agreed to, to be used as Officers vex Claim CPO reneging on salary guidelines a guide in development of salaries. So what the CPO is now saying that the Airports Authority is getting illegal salaries? That will give rise to a bigger question, how was that survey done? We will not be deterred by that at all. We insist we need the market data. The CPO cannot come and tell us now at this 11th hour that those persons are being paid illegitimately; something is terribly wrong there” Richards said.
He added, “The CPO and by extension Finance Minister (Larry Howai) is trying to skew the information to bring about the market shift they want for salaries. What we are saying is that if we are to make a decision on salaries it must be made on honest and factual information.” The men said they were still operating with salaries for the years 2008 to 2010 and their workers were not happy. While Ramesar met with Lewis, fire and prisons officers chanted outside the building saying the CPO would have to out fire, arrest bandits and guard the prisons herself if their financial demands were not met. “If yuh can’t pay we money Stephie, Party Done!” and “You would man the jail by yuhself and catch the bandits by yuhself” were some of the chants the men and women sang as they marched.