Rambally: Government must reject SRC pay hike

CHAGUANAS WEST MP Dinesh Rambally on November 16 urged the government to reject the salary increases proposed for public office holders in the reports of the Salaries Review Commission (SRC) laid in the House of Representatives on November 15.

In a Tik Tok video, he urged the public not to let the SRC controversy distract them from other pressing national issues such as crime. He said the SRC recommended a salary increase for officer holders including the Prime Minister whose pay would rise from $59,000 to $87,000 per month and who would also get $1 million in backpay. The reports proposed the President's salary rise from $64,000 to $81,000 and the Opposition Leader's from $29,000 to $52,000.

Rambally said, "The SRC recommended this. It didn't mandate it. The Government has a choice."

Saying the population was now struggling with the rising costs of food, gasoline, electricity and water rates, along with the newly introduced property tax, he asked if the highest paid officials really needed "a big fat increase."

He said, "But in TT restraint, common-sense and decency are as scarce as US dollars these days.

"I am therefore calling on this PNM Government to do the decent thing and reject this pay rise."

Rambally urged the public not to let their anger over this issue distract them from other national issues.

"There is a serious crime crisis. There is a forex crisis. There is industrial unrest with strikes threatening to cripple the economy. And let us not even start on the crisis in our government schools." He again urged the public to not be distracted.

"Demand accountability on the issues affecting all of us."