AKASH SAMAROO
Lead Editor – Newsgathering
Public Services Association (PSA) president Felisha Thomas says the union is still waiting to meet with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) to discuss its counter proposal on the settlement of public officers’ salary negotiation arrears, describing the prolonged delay as unprecedented and claiming it represents “the first unsettled settlement in history.”
In a Facebook post to members today, Thomas said the PSA had formally written to the CPO requesting a meeting.
“The PSA via correspondence to the Chief Personnel Officer requested to meet in furtherance of finalizing the settlement of your negotiation arrears,” Thomas wrote.
According to Thomas, the CPO responded that he was not yet available.
“The CPO indicated that he was not in a position to meet as his office was still considering the PSA’s counter proposal,” she said.
Thomas noted that almost two months have passed since the PSA submitted its counter proposal and eight months have elapsed since the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed.
She added that the continued delay was unlike any previous wage settlement.
“This is the first unsettled settlement in history,” Thomas said.
Comments on the Facebook post were restricted.
This marks another chapter in the prolonged negotiations over how public servants will receive arrears arising from the wage agreement signed between the Government and the PSA.
The MOA, signed late last year, delivered a ten per cent salary increase for PSA-represented workers but left outstanding negotiations on the structure of the backpay package.
Government has maintained its proposal that arrears should be settled using a combination of cash and non-cash benefits.
Earlier this year, the CPO said the State remained committed to a mixed settlement, comprising 40 per cent cash and 60 per cent non-cash benefits.
The PSA subsequently rejected that proposal and submitted a counter proposal seeking a greater cash component.
The union proposed that members receive 60 per cent of their arrears in cash and 40 per cent through non-cash benefits.
As part of those discussions, the PSA also proposed a range of non-cash benefits, including food cards and fuel assistance, arguing that such measures would provide meaningful relief to public officers while discussions continued.
