Duke: Public servants' employment terms 'sacrosanct' too

PSA head Watson Duke said the Prime Minister was legally correct to say he could not stop ministers from accessing tax-breaks to buy new vehicles as part of the terms and conditions of their job, but said Dr Rowley's stance was morally wrong, as it had ignored the plight of public servants.

At a briefing on Saturday, the PM defended recent purchases by Energy Minister Stuart Young and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.

Duke said, "I'm saying to him (Rowley) that he owes an apology to the thousands of public officers out there who have been sacrificing their allowances –their meal allowance, their overtime allowance, their uniform allowance."

Duke said what was good for the goose is good for the gander.

"Rowley, if your terms are sacrosanct – nobody can interfere with that – then it's good that the employees' terms of employment are also sacrosanct and nobody should play with that.

"If the Prime Minister's, Stuart Young's, Deyalsingh's terms of employment are deemed to be sacrosanct, so too are the terms of employment and conditions of service for all public officials with regards to their overtime (allowance), their acting (allowance), their promotional appointment, all their benefits, their uniform (allowance), all these allowances, even their increment, they are entitled to that, just as you are entitled to your tax exemption."

Duke said PSA workers had no salary hike since 2013. He accused the Government of violating workers' rights, but said ministers were insisting on their own rights.

He said in 2017 the Government had told citizens to cut their coat to suit their clothe and had imposed successive increases in taxes on car purchases, tyres, and the cost of gasoline.

"There are workers who are driving and have to buy gas and they are still on 2013 upkeep for their vehicle. Why you so wicked?" Duke said.

"If you (Rowley) are trying to revive the economy because of what covid has done, by saying to workers, 'Forget all your allowances,' in the airport in WASA, in the hospital, 'Things hard,' then you should have the gall (and) the moral courage to say to Stuart Young and Deyalsingh, 'Not now! Not now!'

"You should be able to say to yourself, 'Not now! Wait until things get better and do it.'

"But no, they vex, vex, vex. Vein in their neck swell up big, telling people, 'Give me a break!'"

Duke said reporters had been unfairly chided for asking about this issue.

"My question to you is, why are your Cabinet ministers enjoying the luxuries of life but workers in the public service are not enjoying that?"