Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
THE POLICE Federation has called for the intervention of the Prime Minister in the ongoing wage negotiations between the body and Government.
Failing this, the federation has hinted at the possibility of rank-and-file police officers taking industrial action today to demonstrate their frustration.
The call for the Prime Minister's intervention follows yesterday's unsuccessful meeting between executive members of the federation and National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips.
After the meeting, federation chairman, Corporal Raymond Wilson, told The Gleaner that it had become clear that the negotiations could no longer continue in the same vein.
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION
"We realise that we cannot reach any further in the negotiations at this level. So we are calling on the immediate intervention of the Prime Minister to bring these matters to a closure," he said.
The Government and the police have been involved in wage negotiations for the past 17 months, meeting more than 30 times.
On Monday, during a mass meeting of rank-and-file members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) at the Kingston waterfront, the federation chairman said if the talks with the National Security Minister ended in a stalemate, then the JCF members would take swift and decisive action.
Yesterday, Corporal Wilson dodged direct questions on the cops' next move, but made some strong hints.
"Our members will be contacted and informed as to where we go from here. We just want Jamaicans to understand that we have to do this. We have to take a certain course," he said.
