BREAKING: Government workers to get 7 percent pay increase

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 November 2021, 16:23 by Denis Chabrol

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh on Thursday announced a 7 percent increase in salaries for all government workers, plus a $400 million “special payout” to frontline workers.

He also announced that government would next year seek to close the gap in public salary scales.

He made the following announcements in address to the nation.

2. First, your Government has recognised the existence of a number of anomalies and disparities across positions within the public service salary scales, as a result of which there are marked inconsistencies across the pay received by persons holding similar qualifications but occupying different posts depending on the agency in which they work, the post to which they are appointed, and the salary scale in which their post is classified. For example, a new graduate with a degree in environmental science might be earning $120,000 in one agency while a new graduate with an identical degree in environmental science might be earning $190,000 in another agency. Government will be taking steps next year to reduce these inconsistencies, by making suitable adjustments to salaries in order to improve the parity and consistency with which persons with comparable qualifications are paid. Provision will be made for this in Budget 2022.
3. Second, your Government has set aside an amount of $400 million for a special 2021 payout to be made to frontline workers in the health sector who have continued to face extenuating circumstances in the daily discharge of their duties, as our country and the world continue to battle the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The details of this payout will be announced shortly, and the payout will be made to eligible employees before the end of December 2021.

3. Third, I am pleased to announce now that your Government will be paying an across-the-board increase of seven (7) percent to public servants, teachers, members of the disciplined services, constitutional office holders, as well as government pensioners. This increase will be granted retroactively to 1 January 2021, and work will start immediately to ensure that it is processed and paid to eligible employees together with their December salary and in time for the festive Christmas season.

He said instructions have already been issued for the work to commence immediately to implement these measures we have just announced.