KINGSTON – Opposition Leader Andrew Holness says that Government can do better, and should do better, than the seven per cent pay increase over two years offered to its employees.
“I am in solidarity with the public sector workers. I believe that the Government can do better, and should do better than the offer they are giving them,” Holness told a meeting of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Area Council One Sunday at Donald Quarrie High School in Harbour View, St Andrew East Rural.
The Opposition leader said that, in the context of his earlier life growing up with a mother who was a civil servant, he has to empathise with the current plight facing public sector workers.
He said that the public sector workers have made a “tremendous sacrifice” over the past five years, experiencing a wage freeze while inflation rose at an average rate of close to nine per cent, effectively eroding their spending power.
He argued that a seven per cent increase would not bring parity, and allow them to recover their lost spending power.
“But, what the Government is saying is, ‘listen, this is all we can afford: We can’t do any more, because if we do any more we are going to fail the IMF test’ …because the only test that is important [to them] is the IMF test and, ‘bawl all you want, we don’t care about passing the people’s test, so long as we pass the IMF test’,” he said.
According to Holness, the JLP as government between 2007 and 2011 cared about the people’s test.
“The last time that the police got a wage increase, they got it under the JLP. Not to mention the teachers… and the nurses, as well. It was under a JLP Government. We did that because we understood that, if you are interested in growing the country, you cannot keep the largest portion of your labour force, which is the public sector, under austerity,” he stated.
He said the austere measures affecting the public servants have “demotivated” them, and make them wonder, “What am I working for? And why should I put out effort?”
He said that the Government has a responsibility to grow the country, and not a mandate to make things harder for the people.
“And, even if there has to be a little hardship, none of you voted for five years of hardship; because when you were electing them, you elected them on the promise that within two weeks they would get an IMF deal, that they would solve everything, and that within the time oxtail, curry goat, and milk and honey going flow.
“You elected them because they said you would have employment: You would have a JEEP (Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme), and every single Jamaican who bought that false promise, who bought that forgery is now saying this is the wickedest… Government we have ever seen in the history of Jamaica,” Holness said.
“We told you what the true situation was. We told you what it was and some of you run way and said ‘bwoy a nuh dat mi want’. But, if you had taken up what I had said we would have been over the hump long time,” he concluded.
The JLP’s Area Council One comprises the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew. Candidate/caretaker for the host constituency is Senator Alexander Williams. The current member of Parliament is the People’s National Party’s Damion Crawford. (Jamaica Observer)
