Gov’t promises vector control workers will receive their increases

Minister of Information, Melford Nicholas has sought to reassure the workers in the Vector Control Unit at the Central Board of Health (CBH) that the government is working to give them the promised wage increases.
In February, the Cabinet issued an immediate order for adjustments to be made to the salaries of workers, soon after they had taken industrial action.
“I can only say that I’m sympathetic to the plight of the workers as would be the Minister of Health, Molwyn Joseph,” Nicholas said.
“They expect rapid results from decisions and regrettably in the public sector, they tend to percolate over a long period of time. I don’t think there’s any member of the cabinet who has gotten a decision rendered in one week, and confirmed the next week.”
Nicholas added that because it is a process, the workers should not expect any rapid implementation of the decisions.
“Sometimes the Treasury is the critical area because there are many demands that are placed on the [it] on a daily basis and their cash flow requirements sometimes limits what they can do, so there has to be some level of prioritisation being done by the Treasury on occasions.”
He further stated, “I do not know what is the source of the delay but I can clearly say that the paper driven bureaucracy in terms of the way warrants have to be raised, they have to be approved and then the necessary changes will be made to the enterprise system that is used to manage payments.”