The country’s Minister of Finance Winston Jordan has indicated that the country’s public servants will not receive any Christmas bonus this year.
“There’s no provision for bonus this year or foreseeable future,” Jordan told News Room. However, he said there will be a salary increase for this year and it will be announced shortly. The salary increase is expected to be retroactive to the start of the year.
“What the Government is trying to do is to rapidly bring salaries and other benefits to a level that befits jobs,” Jordan stated.
On Wednesday, President David Granger said he was awaiting advice from the Minister of Finance on the availability of funds in the public coffers to pay year-end bonuses.
The President was reported by the Department of Public Information as saying his Government is in an “interim administration mode” as the ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the December 21, 2018 vote in the National Assembly, has restricted the administration from embarking on expenditures or agreements which are likely to “collide with the convention of an interim administration.”
“We have accepted that we are an interim government and I, apart for my health, I have not travelled to any international conferences for over a year and we have not entered into any major agreement,” the Head of State said.
Since coming into office in 2015, the Coalition Government has been providing either bonuses or retroactive salary increases.
In 2015, public servants were paid $50,000. The following year, they received $25,000.
In 2017 and 2018, public servants received retroactive salary increases.
