D.P.M. “Eternally Optimistic” on Salary Cut Reinstatement

Last night, you heard from the Joint Union Negotiating Team after yesterday’s meeting with the government counterpart. We learnt that several financial documents were presented and reviewed during the four hour meeting. We were also informed that a second meeting is scheduled for February sixteenth, where the Union leaders expect to get a clearer picture of the nation’s financial stance. Today, we got comments from the Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, who is also leading the government’s negotiating team.

Cordel Hyde

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“I thought our meeting went well. We usually have very fruitful, very cordial, frank discussion. Yesterday was a short meeting. Four hours is short for us. We usually go six, seven, hours, usually long and intense meetings. We shared a ton load of information with them to say where we are right now and where we project to be at the end of the financial year. We have outperformed our budget estimates, I think impressively so. I think we are moving in the right direction; we are not out of the woods yet. But, the numbers look good. It is for them, we promised a year ago we would not keep the salary adjustments any longer than it needs to be, that annually we would review and analyze with view to return to the status quo as soon as is possible. And so, yesterday was the start of that process in earnest. They have the numbers; we have given them a lot of information. They will probably want more information. We are supposed to meet in three weeks time. We will also have a really good meeting then.”

Duane Moody

“So maybe they don’t get back the ten percent immediately, but maybe you get tranches, you get five and then…”

Cordel Hyde

“You the insist pan mek ah get ahead ah mih self, three weeks, three weeks.”