…report expected within first half of the year

MEMBERS of the Disciplined Forces will have to wait a bit longer before they receive any increase in their salary, as the government is awaiting a report from the Commission of Inquiry (COI), which is examining the salaries and condition of service for public servants.The COI is headed by Professor Harold Latchman and was launched early in mid-September 2015 by the government to investigate the working conditions, wages, and other issues affecting public servants.
The Commissioners did not meet the 2015 year-end deadline of completing the report, resulting in the delay of public servants receiving a salary increase and by extension the Disciplined Forces.
During his weekly programme – the Public Interest – Head of State, David Granger admitted that members of the Disciplined Services were not part of the traditional public service but pointed out that there was some equivalence.
He promised that once the COI reported was handed in, there would be changes in the salary structure.
“Once we get the report of that Board, we will be able to draw the equivalence between the ranks in the police and defence forces with positions in the public service. So they are related even though the Commission of Inquiry is not necessarily asked to rule on wages and salaries in the public service. We don’t want to have any disproportionate allocations to one as opposed to the other,” President Granger explained.
He further noted that negotiations would be held once the report was received and based on the outcome of those negotiations, the Defence and Police Forces could expect changes in their salaries structures.
The President said he did not know when the report would be completed but he expected it within the first half of this year.