Unions must negotiate for current and retired staff

THE EDITOR: I must emphatically state that I have no contention with the Government's (CPO's) offer of four per cent to public officers for the periods 2014-2016/2017-2019 as I believe, even without much financial acuity on my part, giving consideration to all the preceding and even prevailing circumstances, it is a reasonable one.

However, my opinion is that unless there are serious extenuating national circumstances, the starting point of retroactive negotiations should not be under three per cent, spread across all three years.

I say this after having digested the disservice done to people (and maybe not for the first time) who would have retired during the 2014-2016 period where the offer was 0-0-0, leaving them completely without any monetary gains after having contributed and waited expectantly like every other public officer for nine years.

The Finance Minister himself has acknowledged this disservice and granted these retirees a one-off $4,000 gratuitous payment. And while a tax-free $4,000 for the period (just over 100 per month) may seem gracious, it is in fact charitable as it cannot begin to recompense the ex-workers (given the life expectancy) for the ultimate loss to their retirement pension if a percentage was allocated.

Negotiations must, on both sides, be more all-embracing. Trade union representatives in particular must strive not to get lost in the euphoria and seek the best interest of their members equally – current and retired. Would one per cent out of that four per cent help?

Ultimately it would be in everyone's interest to keep negotiations as current as possible. After ten years, the spending power is terribly eroded and anomalous situations like this may be eliminated.

How does this retroactivity affect NIS payments both for the National Insurance Board and the retired?

I know quite a few people caught in this and maybe it is due to inflation, but they are feeling it. I feel their pain, but that too will pass away.

ANN MARIE DAVIDSON

San Fernando