The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts raised concern yesterday over the non-payment of numerous civil servants last month, a matter Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest said occurred due to a system coding issue with contract workers whose employment periods had ended.

Mr Turnquest said the matter was being addressed and most if not all of the persons affected should be paid today.

In statement to the press, Mr Roberts said that large numbers of civil servants did not have their salaries deposited to their accounts at various banks for the pay period of August, calling the issue "highly unfortunate and heartless on the part of prime minister".

When contacted for response, Mr Turnquest, who is also deputy prime minister, said it was "unfortunate" Mr Roberts did not apprise himself of all the facts, as he acknowledged that some 332 contract workers were not paid on time because their contract period had ended and the necessary system adjustment was not made.

"Approximately 332 contract workers from the Ministry of Education were not paid on time, due to the fact that their salaries had been 'coded', as their initial contract period had expired and the necessary adjustment had not been made to the system," Mr Turnquest told The Tribune.

"The matter has been addressed with the requisite files sent to the respective banks for posting on Friday afternoon. Most if not all of these persons should receive their salaries today.

"Do note that the Ministry of Finance continues to work through a litany of unresolved financial and human resource issues left behind by the former PLP administration so as to ensure that all legitimately engaged persons receive their due compensation. The government will not be distracted by idle and duplicitous voices who - when they had their time - squandered the people's money, and cared little about the actual well-being of Bahamians," Mr Turnquest added.

Meanwhile, Mr Roberts said that many of those affected workers are parents who were depending on those funds to properly prepare their children for school, which open across the country today.

Mr Roberts said: "While students and their parents suffer because of the terrible policies of Dr Hubert Minnis which created unnecessary uncertainty, hardship and misery for countless Bahamian families, the prime minister and his foreign minister violated their own self-imposed policy on foreign travel and are enjoying cocktails in Atlanta at the expense of Bahamian taxpayers, hundreds of whom Minnis fired since coming to office."

He added: "...Numerous persons spoken to have expressed extreme disappointment in the Minnis government to date who appears strongly driven to place large numbers of civil servants on the unemployment lines.

"We ask again how in heaven's name can the Minnis government justify giving away $10m in business licence rebate to the rich on the one hand and terminating long-serving civil servants in the name of politics while claiming the cupboards are bare? Bahamians continue to ask, which people's time is it anyway? The policies of the FNM are at odds with their campaign slogan of change and it's the people's time.

"The PLP reminds the FNM government that Bahamians are at the breaking point and there will be a time of reckoning sooner rather than later as the Bahamian people did not vote for this arrogant and cold-hearted betrayal of public trust and slap in the face," Mr Roberts said.

The PLP chairman ended his statement Sunday by warning the prime minister not to trigger a revolt by civil servants through his actions.