Jackson
Andrew Green/Claude Mills, Staff Reporters
FITZ JACKSON, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, said yesterday that the Government will not be granting the police a wage increase.
Instead, he said Government was willing to negotiate non-wage aspects of the total compensation received by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Representing the island's more than 7,000 strong Police Force, executives of the Police Federation have been agitating for a 45 per cent salary increase for the contract period 2004/2006.
"No," Mr. Jackson said when asked whether the officers were due any increase. "They have sought negotiations for the contract period (starting) April 1, 2004, and in keeping with the undertaking with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), we are not granting any increases on wages for that period."
WAGE RESTRAINT DEAL
The State Minister was speaking at a press conference at his Ministry's Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on Friday.
A two-year MoU was signed by the Government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) in February. Effective April 1, 2004, the wage restraint deal covers the island's 42,000 public sector workers at all levels, including teachers, nurses, the police, civil servants, employees of public agencies, statutory bodies and government-owned companies.
The alternative to the MoU would have been the termination of 15,000 Government jobs.
But police personnel are prohibited by law from joining trade unions, and the Police Federation did not participate in negotiating the MoU. A few weeks ago, platform rhetoric uttered by executives during the Federation's annual general conference in Ocho Rios implied a tacit threat of industrial action if their demands were not met.
However, the current situation is compounded by the fact that the Federation's executive is still in disarray as recent elections were declared 'null and void' by the Attorney-General. The Inspectors Branch Board has, however, applied to the Supreme Court for an order to prohibit any attempt to hold any other elections for representatives to that body for the year 2004/2005. The injunction ends on June 24.
"The Federation is not a fully constituted body at this time, and until we meet again as a body, we cannot disclose our next course of action," a high-ranking member of the executive said yesterday.
Based on the rules of the JCF, the outgoing general secretary will remain in charge of the Federation's operations until the executive is fully constituted. So far no date has been set for the election of the representative of corporals.
TOUGH STANCE
In the meantime, the Government has vowed to continue its tough stance, and is not entertaining any talk of a wage increase.
"But, of course, we will negotiate on other things related to their employment," Mr. Jackson said. "A contract with any public sector group is not just about wages."
He noted that there has been some misunderstanding about the terms of the MoU, adding that the decision was that there would be no salary increase granted in negotiations for periods after April 1.
At the time of the negotiations it was decided that, "what was on the table in terms of what we offered then would obtain and anything else would be capped at three per cent," Mr. Jackson said. A three per cent cap on salary increases was offered for outstanding negotiations for the period prior to April 1, 2004.
There is no provision for a three per cent salary hike during 2004-2006, he said.
