Serving members of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) who have not yet received their backpay, which was promised to them almost 11 months ago, have been told that there are no guarantees they will be paid on or before the end of this month.
This was confirmed by T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association (TTPSSWA) president, Insp Gideon Dickson, yesterday, who said it was almost one year after they signed off on Government’s four per cent salary increase that backpay remains outstanding.
Speaking during a media briefing at Riverside Plaza, Port-of-Spain, he confirmed that close to 90 per cent of Special Reserve Police (SRP) officers had been paid to date.
However, he said, “Just about 48 per cent of regulars have received their backpay.”
Dickson described the matter as an “untenable position for those officers who have a legitimate expectation”.
Critical of promises by public officials that all officers would have been paid by the end of 2023, Dickson said they were only informed of the delay 24 hours prior that Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher had made additional efforts to have the matter resolved.
He said even with officers of the Finance Branch and the Auditing Section working feverishly to meet the suggested deadline date, it will still be challenging.
He said hand-written cheques will be presented to some officers, “but based on the numbers that remain, we are not seeing it being possible that all officers will receive their back-pay by January 31.”
Dickson said he understood the frustration being experienced by the officers, adding this is “not healthy going into the Carnival period”.
The TTPSSWA and Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Daryl Dindial signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the collective bargaining periods 2014-2016 and 2017-2019, for both First and Second Division police officers, on February 17, 2023.
