Budget failed workers: Exec

THE public sector workers in the country are disappointed in how the national budget was framed and passed without the considerations of the public sector workers’ log of claims.
Public Employees Association (PEA) president Robert Kutapai said this was indicative of the Government’s insensitivity of the public sector workers’ issues like housing, tax relief and cost of living in today’s context. “I qualify our statement of insensibility for the fact that this month DSIP (district services improvement) and PSIP (provincial services improvement programme) funds of K8 million was paid out to all 111 politicians,” he said.
“This equates to K888 million paid out to non-tax payers (politicians and their constituents) at this time of the year where no project will be implemented until the first quarter of the 2020. The Government did this with the full knowledge that they owe the public servants K1.8 million in entitlements and other liabilities.”
Kutapai raised a concern that there were cuts in the wages and salaries of public servants recently to cater for the Government’s fiscal mismanagement of the economy.
He said that to deny public servants their Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustments 2019 was inhumane and unlawful.
“The 2019 three per cent CPI adjustments costs around K200 million, however, the Government can afford K200 million for politicians to spend and not honour the memorandum of agreement for public servants.”
Kutapai said the 2020 budget had nothing tangible for public servants except for their retiring public servants as the log of claims by PEA was still being assessed after three months by the Department of Personnel Management.
“With the cost of living spiralling uncontrollably, there is no real value of the wages that public servants receive,” he said.
“The public servants and their families will continue to suffer due to the bad governance and leadership to take back PNG.”