“YOU cannot spend what you do not have” – this was the “logical” response from General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Clement Rohee to A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) criticism of the five to eight per cent increase of the wages and salaries of public servants.

According to Rohee, during the party’s weekly news conference held at Freedom House yesterday, the primary consideration in offering the increase was affordability.
“Everything has to do with affordability. If Government could afford more they would have given more…don’t believe there are just a few people that sit in a smoke-filled backroom that plot that no we not going to give 10 per cent, we will give 8 per cent,” he said.
The General Secretary added that the PPP/C Administration has consistently over the years offered an increase in wages and salaries, as the country’s economic performance improves.
“Once it is an increase by the Government the PPP supports it,” Rohee concluded.
The announcement of the increase came at the end of November via a statement from the Office of the President.
Over 20,000 public servants and members of the Disciplined Forces have been granted increases in wages and salaries for 2014, ranging from five to eight per cent as of December 31, 2013, retroactive to January 1, 2014.
Public servants and members of the Disciplined Forces earning above $50,000 monthly wages and salaries as of December 31, 2014 are being granted an across the board increase of five per cent, while those earning less than $50,000 monthly as at December 31, 2013 would be receiving eight per cent across the board increase, retroactive to January 1, 2014.
In addition, teachers earning less than $50,000 monthly as at December 31, 2013 are being granted an additional three per cent across the board increase, on top of the five per cent increase already paid to them in keeping with the multi-year agreement concluded with their Union, bringing their total increase to eight per cent retroactive to January 1, 2014.
Circulars have already been issued to effect the payment of these increases on the wages and salaries for 2014.