‘Go through the proper channels’ to address grievances- Premier to public servants
Premier Wheatley said this while responding to a question during a press conference today, Friday, October 3, 2025, where he was asked about an alleged planned “boycott” by public officers due to the increase in salaries for House of Assembly members.
The salary increase was disclosed in the 2024 Audit Report, which showed an over 100 per cent increase for HoA members across the board.
Go through the proper channels
According to the media personnel who posed the question to Premier Wheatley, the planned boycott by “disgruntled” public officers is for the upcoming Public Service Week next week, October 5 to 10, 2025, due to unfair raises across the civil service, the handling of the review, and information that has surfaced from the Auditor General’s report.
“I am unaware of a boycott. Certainly, I think if any member of the public service has a specific grievance, they should write, in my view, to the Deputy Governor’s office and even myself, as it pertains to any particular issue that they might be disgruntled with.”
He reminded that the terms and conditions of employment with the public service falls under the Governor’s portfolio that has traditionally been delegated to the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Deputy Governor’s Office.
“The Deputy Governor’s Office led a transparent process as it pertained to the salary review, and they engaged the services of PWC. There were many stakeholder consultations with the public service, and if persons are not pleased with the process, certainly they need to go through the proper channels to be able to communicate that.”
Auditor’s report provided clarity
Premier Wheatley said as Minister of Finance, around 30 million dollars has been made available for the increase.
“Because we knew that many persons in the public service were not being compensated adequately, and we could not tolerate a situation where persons were making below what was considered a living wage.”
Dr Wheatley added that he thinks the Auditor General’s Report provided “great clarity” in terms of some of the deficient areas in the process, in particular, providing both the Cabinet and House of Assembly with all the necessary information regarding how much the salary adjustments would cost.
“And certainly, there is a level of accountability that has to take place as to as it relates to those particular failings, and it must be acknowledged.”
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23 Responses to “‘Go through the proper channels’ to address grievances- Premier to public servants”
De Castro, Sharie
Dawson, Karl
Fraser, Julian
Hodge-Smith, Luce
Mather, Stacy “Buddha”
Penn, Marlon
Rymer, Kye
Skelton, Ronnie
Smith, Lorna
Turnbull, Melvin
Walwyn, Myron
Wheatley, Natalio
Wheatley, Vincent
The main reason for the salary hike to The HoA ministers, and others, some, at least one up a hundred percent (%), was that your, and theirs were not in par, not equal or similar with regional ministers salary.
I to am among many that view the tactics, reason use to his the HoA as unfair, in my opinion. If it was fair, then there would have been no reason for secrecy, but the planned should have first been publicly revealed for feedback from the public before accured.
In my limit mind of thinking, all workers should be fairly compensate for their labor. Justly so all employees should earn their salary honestly. In B.V.I as is in this world of work for fair pay, and pay for fair work is not a reality. If it was unfair that the HoA ministers, and staffs deserved the salary raised that was secretly covered up, then it is double unfair that all minimum wage workers salary should have, at first not be recommended by, then Deputy Premier Hon. Lorna Smith, to $8.50 from $6.00, but by you reduced to $7.25.
I became knowledgeable that your salary was raised from $154,000.00 per year to $254,000.00 per year, as was reported. Other ministers of the HoA salary, also were substantially raised, secretely.
It is true, that with the rising cost of basic goods for the majority of posible 90% of human addiquate survival, not only in the B.V.I, also worldwide, why then that you saw it fit to reduced the now Junior minister, Lorna Smith recommended minimum wage workers increased from $6.00 to $8.50, and cut it to $7.25 an hour?
If yours, and the other political leaders ministers, and others were underpaid, and each of you salary needed adjustment to what they are now, what about the minimum wage workers need?
Where is B.V.I love for B.V.I people and other people that are living among, and those that are coming daily to B.V.I?
Every thought, every word, every plan, and all actions, and inactions have been, are being, and will be recorded perfectly.
Good choices matter more, and most.
Public Servants ,let's all show unity for once and boycott this Public Service week. Enough is enough. His response showed he doesn't give a s@!T.
Folks that needed Visas to come here No Longer need them but we still have to jump through hoops
Lets fix such matters moving forward
But tell us, Hon. Premier, where do we go when the first person in the channel puts up a blockade?