P.S.U. Up in Arms over Increased Allowance for C.E.O.s

P.S.U. President Dean Flowers says that the prime minister is attempting to mislead and deceive the nation because C.E.O.s under the Briceño administration never made a sacrifice and are now being awarded more monies. He explains that back in April 2020, the former administration had instituted cost-saving measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it saw C.E.O.s under the Barrow Administration forego half of the so-called housing and entertainment allowance and they were receiving the seven hundred and fifty dollars. By November, the Briceño administration took over and the seven hundred and fifty dollar allowance stuck.  Flowers explains.

Dean Flowers

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“What was agreed with the government and what was implemented was for public officers to sacrifice their increments. In addition, contract officers would have taken a ten percent cut on their contracts. Where HODs were concerned, they were to take fifty percent cut on their housing and entertainment allowances, as well as C.E.O.s.  I shared that cost-saving measures with you guys for more detail in terms of what was the sacrifice each category of officers were to have made. When the Briceño administration came in, those austerity measures were extended and in addition to that, they strong armed ten percent from public officers without our consent and by virtue of the constitution which gave the Minister of Public Service that authority to set salaries. In July of 2022, the government returned that ten percent that they had taken from us by force. Bear in mind that when this new set of C.E.O. came in, in November of 2020, not a single one of them was a C.E.O. and so not a single one of them made absolutely any sacrifice to the economic recovery of this country.”