Increments yet to be paid to civil servants! Broken promises
Civil Servants have not been paid their increments from 2015 and there are reports that a few have been still outstanding going back to 2014.
Another broken promise to pay up
Under pressure from the Opposition, the Civil Service Association and the Media, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith (AL) announced on March 22, 2016 in the House of Assembly (HoA) that all increments owed to civil servants for 2015 would be paid in 2016; however, like many other broken promises, this did not happen.
Last year, the Smith Administration came under fire from Opposition Leader Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) during the debate on October 31, 2016 to raise the salaries and allowances of two Junior Ministers- Hons Marlon A. Penn (R8) and Archibald C. Christian (AL)- while civil servants were owed increments for years.
Hon Fraser blasted the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Administration when he told the HoA “you have civil servants who haven’t been getting increments and police who haven’t been getting increments but you giving Junior Ministers a raise," Opposition Leader, Hon Julian Fraser, said.
The straight talking Hon Fraser went on to state in the same debate that he is still puzzled as to what are the duties of the two Junior Ministers.
We needed civil servants’ increment money- Premier
During the NDP campaign prior to the June 8, 2015 elections, Premier Smith had announced on May 12, 2015 that his Administration had to withhold payment of increments because the Government needed the money to do "other things."
“…We recognised that we had to be thrifty. Remember that our mothers thought us to be thrifty and not spend spend spend. And so we held back on the civil servants’ increments just for a little while because we needed that money....” said the Premier.
Another new promised to pay up
In a circular sent to all civil servants a few days ago via an internal email, the Government promised again to pay all civil services their increments for 2015 in early 2017.
It was Honourable Fraser who first raised this issue in 2012/13 about the civil servants increments and has been consistent in advocating for civil servants to be paid their due monies. It was again hammered home by now Virgin Islands Party boss Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) on payment of performance increments for Public Officers in his January 24, 2015 speech at Capoon’s Bay Recreational Grounds on Tortola.
Increments are a small percentage of civil servants salaries that are added to their base salaries yearly. The payments are usually based on performance appraisal.
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33 Responses to “Increments yet to be paid to civil servants! Broken promises”
Promise to pay the people who does the real work their increments but instead design money taking schemes to rip them off.
So this is the 1000 dollar question here:
How can you pay what you already thief?
I never like accounts but it is clear that after the millions have been squabbled from the cruise pier project, the ripple effect is being felt from the shortage of money for years to come since the books can't be balanced.
So here is the million dollar question now:
How the hell are we going to get the airport expansion paid for?
If this is the trend under these white collar criminals, we will be suffering for a very long time!
More 'local' millionaires will be made overnight and the shabby roads we have now will seem like a past dream as the Chinese will get that work in the long-term as we will be on their hook and indebted to them for life.
Don't get me wrong it have some hard working people in government but out of hundred only 50 out of it.
My two cents, train customer service employees in customer service and then when service improves, then pay out increments until then please do not waste my tax dollars.
Only they have cause to complain about non-payment. Increments are not a right unless in your contract terms and conditions. Sorry to say, but there must be a lot of non-performers in our bloated, over-staffed civil service, not to say that there are not some hard workers.