OPPOSITION Leader Aubrey Norton, despite his strong objections to the recently announced 10 per cent retroactive salary increase for public servants, has confirmed that he will accept the raise.
At a press conference held by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Friday, Norton said, “Yes, it will be accepted”, when asked about his stance on the salary increase announced by President Irfaan Ali earlier this week.

Norton currently earns over $1.8 million per month as opposition leader, along with other benefits.
This increase will elevate his monthly salary to around $2 million. Furthermore, President Ali indicated that public servants would receive an additional eight per cent increase in 2025, which Norton will also benefit from.

Despite these increases, the PNCR has criticised the adjustments, arguing that they should have been more substantial. Ironically, it was the PNCR itself that approved a 50 per cent salary hike for its ministers shortly after taking office in 2015, despite public backlash.
At the time, then Minister of State Joseph Harmon had asserted that the coalition government would not apologise for granting such significant raises to its ministers, stating, “I’m not going to make any apologies whatsoever for ministers getting an increase in salaries; they deserve it.”

Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo has responded to the PNCR’s criticisms by labelling them hypocritical, pointing out that Norton receives a salary of $1.8 million for what he described as “practically nothing”.
He emphasised that since returning to power in 2020, the PPP/C government has raised public servants’ salaries by nearly $90 billion.

Jagdeo highlighted that under the PPP/C administration, overall public sector wages have increased significantly from 2020 to 2024, compared to a much smaller increase during the previous APNU+AFC government’s tenure.
He noted that in five years, salary increases under the APNU+AFC were less than the 50 per cent raise granted to ministers shortly after they assumed office.