Remaining Public Sector Groups Urged to Sign Wage Agreement
By: , March 9, 2023
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, opens the 2023/24 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (March 7).The Full Story
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, is again urging public sector groups not yet signing the new compensation scheme, to come forward to settle wage agreements.
Dr. Clarke explained that, inclusive of amounts allocated in the first to fourth supplementary estimates, approximately $79.4 billion is provided for in 2022/23 to pay the incremental amounts for the first year of the restructured compensation system.
“If these amounts remain unpaid over the next few weeks, meeting the fiscal balance targets required under our legislation does not leave room to accommodate these amounts in the next fiscal year. We already have a full trillion dollars of expenditure programmed for next year, inclusive of the second-year payments under the public sector compensation restructuring,” he pointed out.
“The space does not exist for the Government to pay both the first year restructured salaries and the second year restructured salaries at the same time,” he emphasised
“As such, for fiscal sustainability, we will have no choice but to pay these amounts over several years commencing in financial year 2024/25,” Dr. Clarke said.
The Minister was opening the 2023/24 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 7).
Dr. Clarke said the Government has allocated $10.2 billion for rank-and-file police officers, with an additional $1 billion for District Constables and $600 million for members of the Police Officers Association, totalling $11.8 billion.
The total sum for teachers is approximately $12 billion.
“It is budgeted for. It sits waiting for you, if you just give me the permission, through agreement, to give it to you,” he said.
The total amount allocated for junior doctors is $6.4 billion.
“We want the doctors to receive the amounts in March 2023. We want to be in a position for these amounts to leave the Consolidated Fund in March 2023. These amounts alone total $30 billion, and this size of payment cannot be accommodated in the upcoming fiscal year,” Dr. Clarke said.