Minister of Public Service Speaks About Crown Counsel Salaries
On July eleventh, the Director of Public Prosecutions wrote the new Attorney General, on behalf of the Crown Counsels and signed by all eleven of them, complaining that their salaries leave much to be desired. The letter pointed to the risks the job puts them in, and the fact that they are not covered by the job for life-insurance if they come under attack. In addition, the Crown Counsels are concerned over the news that entry level posts within the judiciary pay more than what they are making, even with the years of experience that they have. They point specifically to the contract recently given to an attorney having fewer years experience at the BAR Association as the Judicial Legal Assistant. That post comes with a salary of seventy thousand dollars yearly, and gratuity and benefits at the end of that term. The Crown Counsels take issue with the fact that there are prosecutors with far more years of service who are making just over fifty-three thousand dollars per annum. In one case, one of them with up to thirty-six years of service is still not making the equivalent. The D.P.P., Cheryl Lyn-Vidal shared with News Five today that Attorney General, Anthony Sylvester has met with the prosecutors at their request and with all counsel at the AG’s Ministry to discuss the issue of remuneration. And it has come to light that a restructuring of the pay scale for Crown Counsels was already being pursued by the former Attorney General, Magali Marin-Young. Vidal says she supports the position of the Crown Counsels and has no doubt, having met with the current Attorney General that the government is serious about addressing the issues that they have raised. Today, the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Charles Usher told the media that he has also been made aware of the concerns raised, but that there are procedures that must be followed.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Minister, Public Service
“There are currently three commissions that govern the different public officers, noh? You have the Public Service Commission, you have the Security Services Commission, you have the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. When it comes to legal officers, it’s the Judicial and Legal Services Commission that deals with their terms and conditions. But, of course, they have to consult with the Ministry of Public Service and also with the Ministry of Finance. For instance, the G.L.S.E can’t just decide we’re going to pay all Crown Consuls X amount in salary and then the budget is not there to pay them. So I think there has to be proper consultation when we’re looking at the legal officer’s salaries so that we can determine what is affordable as a country and also and can determine – because you don’t want to lose you don’t want to lose crown counsels. You don’t want to lose judges, you don’t want to lose magistrates because they can make more in the private sector, but at the same time there are Budgetary constraints that you have to look at.”
