Hinds: $184m back pay for fire, prison officers

MINISTER of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds says fire and prison officers will soon receive$184 million in back pay.

He spoke during Monday's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives in reply to questions by Naparima MP Rodney Charles.

Hinds said the back pay was in line with Finance Minister Colm Imbert's announcement during his budget presentation, where he promised $1 billion in back pay for Christmas for 37,000 public employees whose unions had settled with the Chief Personnel Officer for a retroactive four per cent pay rise.

"They will be paid and paid promptly," Hinds said.

The allocation to the fire service for salaries and COLA jumped from $302 million last year (out of an initial estimated $306 million) to $394 million this year, according to the Ministry of National Security draft estimates for recurrent expenditure.

The prison service allocation moved from an initially planned allocation of $450 million last year to $425 million, to $517 million this year.

The budget document also showed a whopping $290 million increase in the salary allocation for the police service, from $1.07 billion allocated last year to a planned $1.36 billion for this year. Police were allocated $59 million more in overtime and $52 million more in allowances.

For the regiment, the salaries (direct charges) leapt from an initial estimate of $370 million to a revised estimate of $474 million last year when wage talks were settled, with this year's allocation being $394 million. Also, allowances (direct charges) jumped from $144 million to $216 million last year to $175 million this year.

Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein asked how many vacancies existed in the fire service.

Hinds replied that the fire service has a sanctioned strength of 2,707 total posts.

Of these, he said 2,319 posts were filled, with 388 vacant. Of the latter, some 268 were "vacant posts with bodies" and 120 "vacant posts without bodies."

Charles asked how many vacant posts existed in the prison service.

Hinds replied that the fire service has 4,271 posts. Of these, some 3,500 were filled, and 771 were vacant.

Of the latter, some 252 were "vacant with bodies" and 519 were "vacant without bodies."

Charles claimed the prison service was in shambles.

Hinds retorted, "The prison service is not in shambles.

"There is always room for improvement. It is not in shambles, as you have described it."

House Leader Camille Robinson-Regis said it was very strange for the Opposition to ask a government minister about staffing levels.

"It is not in the minister's purview. It is the independent Service Commissions who do the filling of vacancies."

Charles held up a cellphone to display its screen to MPs, declaring, "The Constitution says the minister has overall direction and control."

SFC chairman Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George put in, "Please. Put that down!"