Eye on 10% hike

The National?Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has submitted a proposal to Government for a salary increase of ten per cent for civil servants.
Reliable sources indicate that the union, which represents the majority of Government workers, is asking for an increase of eight per cent this year and two per cent next year.
The last salary increase, which was also ten per cent, occurred in 2008.
When contacted yesterday, general secretary Dennis Clarke refused to disclose the amount the union was seeking, stating that the NUPW?would first have to meet with officials of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) to discuss the proposal. That meeting comes off on Thursday.
Ironically, yesterday Minister of Education Ronald Jones, speaking at a seminar for teachers, thanked the unions for not “putting the squeeze on Government” by asking for an increase in wages and salaries.