Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
Members of the Police Federation who are already upset over their prolonged wage negotiations with the Government will meet today at the Jamaica Conference Centre to decide their next move.
The policemen were further angered yesterday amid reports of Junior Finance Minister Fitz Jackson describing their negotiating skills as impractical and immature.
Federation chairman, Corporal Raymond Wilson, says his association will not be intimidated by statements made by Mr. Jackson.
"We believe it is a deceptive tactic to give the public a bad impression on what the police are doing," Corporal Wilson told The Gleaner yesterday.
He continued: "All we are focused on is ensuring that the policemen and women, who on a daily basis sacrifice their lives on behalf of Jamaica, are paid a salary that allows them at least to be able to survive and to take care of their families, while they continue to give service to this nation."
Unrealistic
He was responding to comments attributed to Mr. Jackson in a report yesterday, which also stated that the police were being unrealistic in their wage and fringe benefits claims.
Corporal Wilson said his federation views negotiation as examining all positions before deciding on a settlement that would benefit both parties involved.
"The minster's approach is that he takes something to the table and that is the Government's position and while he has refused to state that it is the final position, from all indications it is," the chairman who represents the island's 8,000 rank and file police officers said.
The Federation is pressing the Government for a 45 per cent increase in year one and 30 per cent in year two. But the Government had proposed a 12.5 per cent in year one and five per cent in year two. This was rejected by the Federation.
Corporal Wilson said while his Federation's salary proposal is ideally what he would have wanted, there is an understanding and appreciation of the current economic climate. ("Which) indicates that we are still willing to compromise and settle for something less than what we believe is ideal - but to go to the levels at which the Government is offering, is more than ridiculous," he said.
Corporal Wilson told The Gleaner that his Federation made it very clear that they were not a part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Government and the Joint Confederation of Federation of Trade Unions (JCTU), which resulted in a public sector wage freeze for two years.
Government has since capped the hike in the public sector wage fund at 20 per cent, while allowing increases to individual groups of between 13 per cent and 27 per cent.
"I don't believe security is something that you want to keep hanging and to take lightly and for people to be uncertain about," the Federation boss said.
The Federation gave the Government until mid-day today to present an improved offer.
"We do hope that good sense will prevail and the Government will, as was promised before, send an improved offer," he said, noting that the offer that is currently before the Federation was "something we are not comfortable with".
In a letter addressed to Corporal Hartley Stewart, General Secretary of the Police Federation, dated September 12, 2006, Mr. Jackson stated that the proposal on the table to the Federation adds up to a total movement in salary for the period April 1, 2006 ranging from 18 per cent to 32 per cent against the previous contract period.
The movements in the rates, he noted, compare significantly more favourably to the rest of the civil service in year one.
But Corporal Wilson said the benefits that were paid in April were based on the 2004 to 2006 contract period and Mr. Jackson had made it clear that it would not have affected the current contract period.
