DR. Ashni Singh, the minister responsible for Finance and the Public Service has admitted that there has always been a problem with the length of time it takes for new public service employees to start receiving their salaries.

He further stated that the PPP/C government is “firmly of the view” that people should not have to wait an excessive amount of time to obtain their first emoluments.

The aforementioned was his response to a query from Opposition Parliamentarian Tabitha Sarabo-Halley regarding the length of time new hires must wait before receiving pay.

Speaking on Friday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) about the Public Service Ministry’s budgetary allocation, Dr Singh mentioned that, roughly six months prior, there had been a heated debate in the House on the subject, leading to the passage of an amended motion requiring new public servants to receive their first salary within a “reasonable” time.

The initial motion had sought to “ensure that public servants receive their first paycheck no more than one month after the commencement of their employment in the public sector.”

It has been customary for newly hired public employees to work for three months straight without getting their first paycheck. It was disclosed during last year’s debate that the lengthy wait was caused by the multi-agency agreements in place to bring new hires onto the payroll, as well as by officials hiring people before the required permissions were received.

Dr Singh, however, assured the National Assembly that the issue is being addressed.

“Let me say clearly and unequivocally… this government’s position is that persons should be paid in the shortest possible time after they are recruited. We are currently doing work to revisit the business process surrounding recruitment and addition to the payroll,” he said.

He promised that this year, the government will move “definitely early” so that the problem “if not completely eliminated” will be “significantly reduced.”

Quizzed by Opposition MP Juretha Fernandes on the disadvantages of not being paid early, Dr Singh said, “Well, I can certainly think that a tremendous personal inconvenience is suffered. If one is working and not being paid and that is a personal inconvenience that we would like to alleviate as far as possible. It’s a personal inconvenience not to be trivialised in any way whatsoever. I suspect that everybody who starts working wants to be paid in the first pay cycle.”

He was also asked by MP Sarabo-Halley if there will be an increase of the salary bands in 2024.

“The bands are of course addressed,” Minister Singh remarked.

“So, every year as the across-the-board salary increase is adjusted, the bands are moved up accordingly. And in 2024, as has always been the practice in the past, whenever an adjustment is made by way of a salary increase, the bands will be adjusted upwards,” he added.