Duke wants $150m payout from govt to public servants

Watson Duke, president of the Public Services Association (PSA) says he intends to send to Finance Minister Colm Imbert, a letter calling on him to make an advance payment of $10,000 to all 15,000 members of the PSA as a down payment on the settlement of negotiations for the period 2014-2016.

He said it equates to half of the 14 per cent owed to public officers as a means of restoring purchasing power.

Duke was speaking at a news conference at the union’s headquarters at Abercromby Street, Port of Spain yesterday.

He was accompanied by his slate of candidates for the union’s election which was scheduled to be held today but has been stayed after another slate sought an injunction from the High Court.

“In 2014 we had an inflation of 7.5 per cent, in 2015 - 4.7 per cent and in 2016 - 3.3 per cent,” Duke said.

“Altogether that inflation is 14 per cent and the $10,000 we are asking for is an average of seven per cent over that period, given that the minimum would be $4,000 and the maximum $16,000 if we were to ask just for the seven per cent. Altogether, the government would have owed workers a minimum of $10,000 - $32,000.”

He also said if the dollar is devalued, the advance payment would be adjusted upwards.

“It’s a small advance payment on their salaries.

“We will deal with the others when we settle negotiations but we cannot wait. This must be dealt with hot despatch.”

Duke also said the PSA will be meeting with the minister of finance regarding the Board of Inland Revenue, Customs and excise on Monday December 4.

On the injunction filed by the Fixers to stay the election on the ground of alleged impropriety with the union’s electoral list, Duke as leader of the Game Changers, one of the four teams contesting the election said, “We too are taken aback by this injunction designed to thwart the desire of workers to participate in an electoral process that we deemed to be fair, free and that will simply entrench the desires of the members upon the PSA.

As the leader of Game Changers, I want to say the action brought by the Fixers was brought to the election committee as the first defendant and the general secretary of the PSA as the second named defendant.”

He said no one from his slate was named as a defendant.