Gov't should cut the fat
published: Friday | July 21, 2006

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IN LIGHT of the recent disputes in wage negotiations with the Government, one is not sure what to make of the new MoU2. The fact is that this Government has little moral authority to broker any negotiation which demands that workers 'band their belly' or 'hold strain' a little more. Indeed the Government has misused or squandered billions of dollars over the past few years that the country cannot account for. Lest we forget NSWMA, Sandals Whitehouse, NetServ, cement crisis, and of course, 'run wid it'. These have all cost the taxpayers dearly and, in the end, no one in Government is held responsible, but our hard-working civil servants are asked to make all the sacrifices, and live a substandard quality of life to pay for the recklessness and mistakes of the Government.

While I do believe that some social partnership is necessary for us to move forward, the Gover-nment should have considered the consequences before 'running wid it' and pumping billions of dollars down the drain into project overruns and friendly contracts.

I lift my hat to the public servants who toil tirelessly to uphold the fabric of our society, the nurses who treat our illnesses with little or no resources, the teachers who labour in classrooms, some without proper toilets and leak-proof roofs, and the policemen and women who put their lives on the line to protect ours. You deserve more than $30,000 per month and, I dare say, do not stop until you get what you deserve. Let the Government cut some of the fat around its belly to make room for your salary increases.

I am, etc.,

JEAN DALEY

jean_daley3@hotmail.com

Spanish Town

Via Go-Jamaica