Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
POLICE officers are expected to begin receiving the first instalment of their long-sought overtime pay today.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that the provisions were made for their payments to begin today.
Officers were alerted yesterday that cheques for overtime will be issued at the Police Training College from today until Wednesday, between 9am to 4pm.
A source familiar with the matter said a list of
officers who will be paid today were 1,799 people from the rank of constable to inspector.
This number doesn’t include reservists or officers who have since died since working overtime and are entitled to compensation.
Ultimately, it’s unclear how many people will be paid and what process was undertaken to determine who is eligible to receive compensation.
It had been unclear whether the Minnis administration would even be able to meet the May 29 deadline for the first tranche of payments as promised by the Christie administration before the general election.
The new government had to make its own provisions for the payments.
While Mr Turnquest previously said some amount of borrowing would be required to make the payments, it’s unclear exactly what arrangements were made.
Mr Turnquest said yesterday that the payments will be made in four instalments.
He could not say offhand how much money will be paid overall or how much will be paid in any tranche.
Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had said during a campaign rally earlier this month that no matter which party won the May 10 general election, the government would be unable to pay officers today because “the money ain’ there” in the Public Treasury.
The decision to pay officers overtime was made by the Christie administration after years of wrangling over the overtime issue.
It came after officers worked 12-hour shifts at different periods in 2013 and 2014 to combat mounting crime.
After officials of his administration insisted that officers would not be paid overtime, former Prime Minister Perry Christie announced during a campaign rally at RM Bailey Park that the officers will be paid, with one payment coming on May 29 and another at an unspecified date in the next budget cycle.
He made the announcement days before officers were set to vote in the election’s advanced poll.
Critics called his decision “a political ploy.”
Last May, the Court of Appeal upheld Supreme Court Justice Milton Evans’ ruling that a Force Order issued by former Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson in 2003 was relevant to the matter as it mandated that public officers be paid when they work for more than 40 hours in a normal work week.
At the time, the PSA had estimated that if money is given to officers, the government would end up paying as much as $16.4 in overtime pay. The court’s ruling, however, allowed the government to either give the officers time back or give some combination of financial compensation and time-off.
The Police Commissioner decided last year to give officers time off and to give financial compensation only to those who worked overtime during the time period but since retired or died.
Comments
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrades! Wait, how can this be 'It's the People's Time?
This is a curious case of familiarity of you know it when you feel it - when the new red shirts minister of finance 'KP'- paying off the old PLP's General Election vote buying attempts Déjà Vu.
Which of you citizens - should've, would've, could've known that your precocious red Votes caste on May 10, 2017 - would go towards the total votes the PLP government received to pay off PLP election debts?
Ain't long now, before 'KP' reaches his borrowing goals of his first $1 BILLION dollars - all in the good name and faith of the 'hardworking' citizens of the Bahamaland?
Paying off any government workers back salaries should not be done with borrowed funds.
DDK 7 years, 5 months ago
Eh?????????? Precocious votes caste???????
banker 7 years, 5 months ago
Tal has been drinking heavily since the election.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade DDK, the 'red colonials caste' turned out by the thousands to vote for a PLP payback. Who could've known, hey?
You don't need university degree in grammar to know that if you don't have money in the bank to pay government workers - you fire them - not start to borrow towards your first $1 Billion to settle the former PLP's campaign debts.
However you wish to twist this - this is absolutely not how a responsible newly elected red government should be acting..... I think not, and you too shouldn't not think not!
DDK 7 years, 5 months ago
Thank you for the clarification. Sometimes it's difficult!
OMG 7 years, 5 months ago
I can only assume that you make these stupid comments to get a reaction because nothing that you say makes sense.I do believe that in addition to VAT and all the other taxes the PLP borrowed millions. I do believe that as an election ploy they suddenly promised to give the police the back pay. Now I could be wrong but in your little world the FNM are damned if they give the rise and damned if they don't.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
What? He is the Minister of Finance. How in the world could he not know this information?
DDK 7 years, 5 months ago
PLEASE tell me opacity is not rearing its ugly head so early in the game.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
It is unthinkable that the Minister, who must approve the disbursements from the Consolidated Fund for these payments, does not know what he approved.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 5 months ago
How many officers (1799+) are being paid??????? ......... What is the total bill????? ....... Why is this being honoured with an IOU?????? .......... This is not a good precedent for the FNM.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 5 months ago
He said they had to borrow the money to pay the police. has he borrowed the money already.
I am sure the Police and those who will benefit must be very happy, It is like Christmas in May.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
There is no legal authority to have borrowed any money outside of approved borrowing from the current budget year which has already been exhausted, so legally none could have been borrowed prior to these payments being made. They will have to account for this in whatever borrowing is going to be requested when the Budget is presented this week.
TigerB 7 years, 5 months ago
The previous government made the promise to pay... they knew it was no money bit they promise anyway, they wasted all that money on over promoting the rank and file, stupid election ploy, so now the overtime which was mandated by the court some 3 years ago had now been promise to be paid. It had nothing to do with the new government.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
The problem though is, that it was just that, a political campaign promise. While the monies or time off equal to, are owed by order of the courts, the FNM government did not have to keep Christie's date of payment if it would not have been financially feasible at this time. Christie threw that date out as a campaign ploy. The taxpayers are not to be put on the hook for a politician's tricks. If the money truly was not there to do this now, the government had the responsibility to inform officers of the current fiscal realities, and set out a fiscally responsible timeline for payments owed.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade TigerB, the Court did not simply rule that the government had to pay the policeman's for the overtime hours accumulated.....the Justice gave the government the very same 'second option' that minister of finance 'KP' could have taken .... and that is to give the policeman's equal time off for each overtime hour they worked.
Their was never a singular ruling that the policeman's had to be paid their overtime hours - as I'm sure the Justice knew back then as we now knows too damn well - that the public treasury is broke.
No financial advisor worth their salts - would advise a business client to go borrow millions more in monies that would only their business closer to certain bankruptcy. The reds say they are a business-minded form of government - but they're not behaving like they are. For heaven's sakes - at 'KP's rate of borrowing - how long before he borrows his very first $1 Billion dollars - I say in less time than 11 months!!
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrades! Hypocrisy to let 'KP' off the hook - who when in opposition talked so much about how if his red party were elected as the new government.... he 'KP' and his red colleagues would put fiscal responsibility at the heart of its 2017 General Election mandate as it campaigned to pull ahead of the ruling PLP government's declining voter support.
Was, 'It's the people's Time' - just another red shirts campaign slogan with no beef, if they succeeded in pulling ahead of the majority of the PLP 39's election candidates?
At least the reds have completely dropped Papa Hubert's - 'It's A Matter of Trust' from their list party's meaningless 'no beef' slogans.
I really expected better from 'KP' as one the good guys elevated into the governing cabinet. 'KP' had have known how he was acting so fiscally irresponsibly wrong?
And....prime minister Minnis has gone even more silent than did former PM Christie did when his cabinet ministers were doing stupid stuff all around him.
themessenger 7 years, 5 months ago
Am I missing something here, what has any of this got to do with the FNM fulfilling PLP election promises? Did not both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals rule that the police were legally entitled to their overtime pay? Is the one of the first acts by our new government to follow in the fashion of their predecessors and ignore and disregard a Supreme Court ruling??? I thought this kind of crap got flushed with the PLP, Tal, someone mussy put lizard tail in your weed too.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade The messenger, no the court never ruled that the government's only option was to pay them for their overtime hours worked.......option two was to give the policeman's equal time off for every overtime hour worked.... the same option 'KP' could have taken advantage of - over going with beggar's cup in hand - begging lenders for even more millions of dollars.
At least 'it's the People's Time' government should show some transparency - by informing the People - if option two was discussed in cabinet and if so - why was it not the option taken?
alfalfa 7 years, 5 months ago
Perhaps Tal, it would have made you feel better if the FNM had not honoured the PLP's commitment to pay the overtime promised. They are a government that will honour the previous government's obligations, as that is the correct thing to do, particularly in situations such as this. However, do not expect carte blanche adherence to deals that were made which have a detrimental effect on the country or the Bahamian people. Those who engineered such arrangements need to be seeking legal counsel, as many of them will be called to account for their actions. This will be something new for our country, as crookedness has been the order of the day for fifty plus years.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade Alfalfa, you do realize there is much more to this red shirt "KP's rush to fulfill the PLP 'political" election promises.....seems Minnis and 'KP' made it damn clear pre general election that if elected to governing - a red shirts administration had no intent of honouring the PLP's promises made to Baha Mar.....but maybe with Izmirlian photographed standing smiling alongside PM Minnis up at Government House- that too will now have changed with Izmirlin back in the Baha Mar picture?
No new government should ever honour political promises made by the previous government - the same government they accused sinking the people and country deeper into Billions dollars debt..... But again the red shirts have completely dropped Papa Hubert's slogan - 'It's A Matter of Trust.' That's so big red ballsy, right..... No wonder only one woman's made it into the red cabinet?
themessenger 7 years, 5 months ago
Tal, you seem to have difficulty differentiating between Court Orders and political promises, but you do have a point in your usual roundabout way, the new government should not be honoring any political promises made by your government and yes that's the same one that took the people and the country to nine toes in the economic and financial grave.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade TheMessenger, wouldn't you at least feel more assured if 'KP' would use some transparency to inform the public-at-large, if they gave any consideration of the court's option to just grant policeman's owed overtime hours - time off for each overtime hour worked. NO court ever ruled that the the previous or present red government - MUST pay the policeman's in (borrowed) cash dollars.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
The Ministry of Finance ought to have issued a detailed statement ahead of this matter on this matter, outlining the number and rank of officers to be paid, the total amount that has been approved for payment, how and when payments will be made, the amount to be paid at each installment and how the payments are to be financed since they are not budgeted this current fiscal year. This level of disbursement without these details from the government to taxpayers is unacceptable. Yes, give what is owed. But be fully accountable to the taxpayers. The two ought not be mutually or otherwise, exclusive. This is what Bahamians have been complaining about for the longest time; money being spent but we are not being told how much, when, how, etc.
alfalfa 7 years, 5 months ago
Tal, The Bahamar deal is still a mystery to all but you. The Courts have the final say on that matter, but no sane thinking person could possibly believe that the FNM will not carefully review what has transpired in the Secret Sealed Deal, and make decisions it deems necessary. The difference is that You and I will know what decisions they make, and not be in the guessing game that Perry and crew left us in.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrade Alfalfa, you're absolutely right - cause at least PM Minnis, didn't sneak Izmirlian up and through the back hill Mount Fitzwilliam.... Sweet Jesus, PM Minnis, even tooks a picture with Izmirlian......can you imagine all hell breaking loose, had that been Nygard, standing alongside PM Christie up at Government House?
alfalfa 7 years, 5 months ago
Why are you so worried about Izmirlian? We know he got screwed out of millions.If it were you, you would be fighting like hell to get your money back. Me, I am more interested in the Fook arrangement, and in who got their graft out of the deal. If Minnis is able to reveal only that he is leading the PLP by 50 in the 100 sprint. Don't worry Tal, the truth is supposed to set you free, but in this case, I think not.
ashley14 7 years, 5 months ago
Anyone who works overtime should be paid time and one half for it unless otherwise agreed to by employer and employee. Some employees are salary exempt from overtime. Well I'm speaking for the states. It's the law or the employer will go to jail and be shut down. People don't work for free.
Alex_Charles 7 years, 5 months ago
borrow, borrow, borrow
gbgal 7 years, 5 months ago
These press releases should come from the new Press Office and should detail facts in prepared comments. Doesn't look good to have the Minister unable to cite facts when speaking to press. Cabinet members must be trained in these new procedures so that everyone operates from same playbook!
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