Budget Presentation Makes Brief Mention of Wage Cuts

John Briceño

While the PM did mention the ten percent salary cuts and three-year increment freeze for the public service, he did not belabor the point during his budget presentation. Outside the House, reporters asked PM Briceño whether he had taken a deliberate decision to spend so little time on the these controversial issues.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I do not think we moved away from anything. We basically said that the wage cut is going to be there. We have been consulting endless with the Unions and we are prepared to continue talking to them. But the fact of the matter is, and without being in any way disrespectful we just do not have the money. There is no money to continue paying the number of wages in front of us. And as I pointed out it is not only the Union or the employees of the Government that are making cuts or just by doing that we are balancing the budget. We are cutting on our projects. We are cutting on all our expenses all over the place. All of us must do our little bit. Across the world, here in the Caribbean we are starting to hear more and more countries are talking that they do not have money to pay salaries. By extension we are doing our utmost best to keep employee working.”