THE EDITOR, Sir:THE MEMORANDUM of Understanding (MoU), a document that was implemented by the government of Jamaica, is a binding agreement between all state governed institutions and the government which seeks to control and restrain the level of increase offered to public sector
employees for a given period of time. In a nutshell it is really a freeze in salaries and statutory benefits such as laundry and clothing allowance, travelling. The signing of such understanding only seeks to broaden the spending power of the Government in other areas as well as to pay off excessive debt incurred by the Government.
The public sector has no major benefit to obtain as they can only bargain for a percentage increase over a period of two years which would not include statutory deductions, notwithstanding inflation increase, increase in utility bills or grocery bills and even fuel charges. This MoU is just to save the Government's skin from the overwhelming debt burden they will have to face this financial year. If this MoU was so good, why then have all Government sector workers not got the same increase and not based on their present salary or scale?
The Government of Jamaica only considers themselves when it comes on to salary increases. When parliamentarians are to an increase, no one can dictate to them how much or when to gain such increase, as both sides of the House are in full support of such increase. The MoU is only for the poor who can't represent themselves individually.
I am, etc.,
DAVID CAMPBELL
smarteacherdaveco@yahoo.com
St. Catherine
