Public Officers who are due three years of increments can look forward to two years’ payment when the Territory’s 2019, Annual Budget is approved in the House of Assembly, in April, according to Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1). Photo: VINO/File

Premier lambastes Myron V. Walwyn’s campaign promises as “irresponsible.” Photo: VINO/File

Constitutionally the Territory’s Budget must be passed by April 30, and according to Premier Fahie his administration is faced with a number of challenges but will find ways of dealing with them.

In Motion

Speaking on the “re-launch” of Claude O. Skelton-Cline’s Honestly Speaking radio programme last evening March 19, 2019, Hon Fahie said, “I must tell the people of the Virgin Islands (VI) that this Budget is a challenge in that it was already in motion and rightfully so, they (previous government) had to do something, given the timeframe but the Budget had to be passed….”

“We are trying our best to do some adjustments but then I am coming to learn that it’s not only up to us with the Budget there is the MTFP (Mid-Term Physical Plan) that has to be approved by the United Kingdom (UK), a series of things has to be approved by the UK... since taking office I come to understand that the UK did not agree with the MTFP).”

Zeroing in on the possibilities of paying overdue increments to public officers, Premier Fahie said that since taking office, his research shows that the public officers are owed about three years of increments. “They already worked for it but it’s just that they haven’t received it because the funding wasn’t there and the will to do it also wasn’t there.”

Irresponsible

On the 2019 General Election campaign trail, the hopes of public officers were pinnacle by the Leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Myron V. Walwyn, on the promise to pay up by March 15, 2019, should his party return to government.

On the same campaign trail Hon Fahie on the other hand had promised to look into the matter but could not give a date to make the pay-out should his party win.”

He has since concluded “...the statement of them getting the money on March 15 was an irresponsible one.”

According to the new Premier, it’s not possible for the increments to be paid during this period because the Territory is currently running on a temporary budget.

“So all of these are what I got from the Ministry of Finance when I inquired on the matter.”

He said his team sat down and given the Finance state of the of the Territory, decided “we are going to pay two years of the increments in this upcoming Budget and then God spare life, we are going to pay the balance of it.”

Shocking

Looking at other welfare matters of public officers, Premier Fahie said, his government is working on helping some Public Officers with the needs assessment they had following the hurricanes of 2017

He added too that since taking Office, the depletion and demoralization of the Public service has surprised him the most.

“For example in the Premier’s Office, I was surprised how much there is little or no senior level staff…to be blunt, it seems like a government was running outside and just bringing certain things inside…“There seems to be a lot of persons don’t know and the records not there to follow.”

This, he said “has been the most shocking thing for me.”