Public sector unions call for payment of outstanding increment

THE Council of Public Sector Unions wants the Government to pay the outstanding 3 per cent increment due from last year.
Council chairman Robert Kutapai said the unions had realised that the national 2020 budget did not allocate any funds for the 2019 increment.
“The Government must honour its commitment and must pay the 2019 increment by the end of this month,” he said.
No comment could be obtained from the Government yesterday.
“We have seen the Government’s budget and (there is) nothing in terms and conditions of salary fixation,” he said.
Kutapai said negotiations between the union and the Department of Personnel Management had not turned out well.
“A meeting came up with two resolutions.
“The first was for the government to pay the three per cent increment from 2019 by the end of January.
“The Government should have paid that last year. (It is again) missing in this year’s budget.
The second resolution is that the memorandum of agreement for unions and the Public Employees Association must be signed by March 31 this year.
“Failure to adhere to these resolutions will result in industrial action,” he said.
He said the increment payment would help parents pay school fees.