CHESTER SAMBRANO
“Quite disrespectful.”
That is how president of the Fire Officers Association Leo Ramkissoon has described the four per cent salary increase offered to police officers by Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Daryl Dindial on Monday.
The CPO proposed the four per cent increase for the years 2014 to 2019.
But while they will get their new offer today, Ramkissoon is certain his members will not be happy with four per cent.
“I don’t believe it will be accepted,” he said.
Speaking with Guardian Media on Tuesday, Ramkisson said, “Four per cent is exactly what we would have feared from the start when you start off with a two per cent.”
He said with such a low offer being placed on the table, it creates a much longer distance to travel to get to what is considered by the scientific research as being reasonable.
For fire officers, that reasonable increase would be 15 per cent for 2014 to 2016 and COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) being consolidated with salaries.
Nevertheless, Ramkissoon said that they will go into the meeting with an “open mind,” trying not to enter with preconceived notions.
He said whatever offer is given, he will consult his membership before an official response is presented.
Another major union sitting before the CPO this week is the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA).
Association president Antonia Tekah-De Freitas yesterday told Guardian Media that while they use a different approach to negotiation, the market survey approach, a 4 per cent offer is concerning.
“I would say, and TTUTA would say, and unions would say that even that quantum is not enough to allow the worker in whatever sector to survive given the current cost of living and to therefore maintain a decent standard of living,” she said.
Tekah-DeFreitas added that with rising fuel, food and other prices, ”one has to wonder whether the Government is serious about the welfare of workers and citizens on making such an offer.”
However, regardless of how she feels prior to the meeting, she said TTUTA is adopting a wait-and-see approach.
For teachers, her hope is to close the salary gap based on market survey results which compare similar jobs and competencies.
“We must work toward the closure of the gap based on what the market showed us, we expect that given circumstances we may not get 100 per cent closure as much as we would like to, so we would want it as close as possible to that 100 per cent,” she said.
On Monday, Police Service Social and Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) president, acting Assistant Superintendent of Police Gideon Dickson, said they have two weeks to respond to the CPO’s four per cent offer. He said in that time, they will meet with their membership and with their consultant to crunch figures.
