The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

STATE Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said the government forecasts a growth in public sector wages over the medium term from $863.9m in the 2023/2024 fiscal year to $941.7m in the 2026/2027 fiscal year.

She added it has been estimated that the annual additional incremental costs associated with the labour agreements the Davis administration has completed since coming to office is $18m.

The state minister was responding to the opposition’s questions while Minister of the Public Service Fred Mitchell was absent regarding the cost of labour agreements and budgetary allocations.

One of the questions was whether the government will provide the annual additional incremental costs associated with the labour agreements it has completed since coming to office.

Mrs Glover-Rolle answered: “The government has estimated that the annualised additional incremental costs associated with the labour agreements that we have completed since coming to office is $18m.

“We honoured our commitments to public sector employees when we came into (office) and we brought much-overdue relief to scores of workers, including teachers, nurses, doctors and other public sector employees.

“So these commitments were long overdue, and our administration is proud to (have) honoured the obligations to these workers in our country.”

The government was also asked to indicate if the spending aligns with relevant related budgetary allocations for the current fiscal year.

“Yes, we can confirm that the estimated annual additional incremental costs associated with the completed labour agreements align with the related and relative budgetary allocations for the current fiscal year; $20m was allocated for labour agreements in the FY 2022/23 budget,” the state minister said.

“The government remains committed to ensuring that all budgetary allocations are carefully managed and monitored and that all are in line with the government’s broader fiscal goals and objectives.”

The government was also asked to explain how the projected costs related to these labour agreements align with the reduction in public sector staff-related costs projected over the medium term in its Fiscal Strategy Report 2021.

“The government forecasts a growth in public sector wages over the medium term from $863.9 million in fiscal year 2023/24 to $941.7m in fiscal year 2026/27,” she said.

Meanwhile, there were other questions about the alleged treatment of senior civil servants. Last October, former Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle told the Davis administration to “deal fairly” with all public officers amid claims that some in the service were being victimised.

The question about paying the senior civil servants who were allegedly sent on administrative leave and were found to have done nothing wrong while being stripped from their legal posts and lawful secondments the same way “they have settled matters for the financial secretary and others” was also put to the Davis administration.

However, Mrs Glover- Rolle said the question seemed to be in response to some accusation and said it is not clear which employees are being referred to.