PRESIDENT of the Public Services Association (PSA) Watson Duke is calling on public servants, who have not received a pay increase since 2013, not to vote in the December 2, Local Government Elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the PSA offices in Port-of-Spain, on Monday, Duke said, “The minister finds it quite comfortable to say On the Job Training persons would be given a ten percent increase in salary and they intend to take on an additional 8,000 persons.
“We say… we are glad. Take on more persons, pay them more money they deserve to be paid more. OJT they have no union fighting for them, they are oftentimes advantaged so we are happy they are getting something.”
He said, “Why is it that this PNM Government cannot get the metric right and understand the civil servers of this country.
“The public servers of this country, the Police (Service) the Fire (Service), the WASA, the TTEC, the Airport Authority, Civil Aviation, Agriculture Development Bank. Every single worker in this country deserves an increase.
“And you can’t start with just OJT, CEPEP, Minimum, URP and just leave the rest.”
“They are fixing everybody else but the main essential service they are not fixing,”
Duke said, “With one month and a little bit to go, six years, all of 2019.
“They would have given us no increase and they allowed the money for public officers which was standing at some 100 per cent purchasing power in December 2013 to now regressed.
“It has now regressed by some 30 percent. Or more, some 30 per cent it has regressed to and the government is saying to us they have nothing to say on this matter. They are completely silent.”
He said, “I’m not saying vote for somebody else you know, stay home. Don’t vote. If they don’t pay you and you want to vote for them, don’t vote. I’m not saying give the UNC your vote, they ain’t work for it either.
“I’m saying when you voting think about who you voting for and what you voting for.”
