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Joint Unions Counter-propose To GOB For 60M In Savings

Prime Minister John Briceno said he wouldn't cut teachers' salaries if they could find some other way to realise budgetary savings of 80 million dollars. Well, the joint unions, BNTU, PSU, APSSM yesterday wrote a collective letter to the Financial secretary putting forward an 8 page list of proposals.

It opens by saying, quote, "the working-class Public Officers are not in a position to accept the proposed wage bill adjustments, given its potential hardships on an already struggling workforce that is now being asked to further sacrifice for the mismanagement of the country's finances." End quote.

It adds that if government had followed "Cost Savings and Revenue Enhancement Reports," which the union generated over past years, it would have quote, "yielded in excess of $60M per year. It is important that we bring to your attention the severe potential negative socio-economic impact that the removal of $60M from the economy would cause." End quoye.

It also warns that, through this, GOB stands to lose upwards of $15 million dollars per year in P.A.Y.E and G.S.T. combined. The letter continues to say, quote, "The Joint Unions may be amenable to sacrifice an additional year of increment freeze" end quote, but only on the condition that the Government engages in continuous dialogue with the Unions to monitor the implementation and results of our cost savings and revenue enhancement proposals.

And while they may agree to an increment, don't touch their pensions. The letter says, quote "Notwithstanding such salary adjustments, it is proposed that on retirement of affected public officers, pension would be paid on the basis of a pensionable salary calculated as if salary adjustments had not occurred."

An annex to the letter contains suggestions for "savings and revenue enhancement proposals" which, of course, includes the proposal to cut Ministers' entertainment and telephone allowances.

It also proposes 5 million dollars in savings by making all Ministers', CEO's and other senior government officials buy their government assigned vehicles at market value.

The joint unions expect to elaborate on these and their many other suggestions at a press conference tomorrow morning.

Channel 7

Understanding the Increment Freeze: A Teacher's Perspective

Many teachers are not happy about G.O.B.'s proposed ten percent salary cut and increment freeze. They have taken to the streets to protest these proposals because they feel that they will be giving up a lot and that other measures should be explored. But just how will these proposed measures affect teachers? One teacher has come up with the tables and created an easy to understand video. News Five's Andrea Polanco reports.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Miguel Bonilla is a teacher at the Mount Carmel High School. He made a video to explain what an unfrozen salary increment looks like versus how the salary increment freeze will affect teachers - not just for the next four years but for the duration of their teaching years. In this example, Bonilla starts by showing how a teacher's continuous increment looks over the duration of his teaching years versus what a four-year freeze would like. This example is of a twenty-eight-year old teacher who has twenty-seven more years until he retires - so someone who is very early in his teaching career. This teacher is on pay scale sixteen point one. He earns a yearly salary of thirty thousand one hundred and seventy one dollars. His yearly increment stands at one thousand three hundred and ten dollars.

Miguel Bonilla, Teacher, Mount Carmel High School

"When he started working at Mount Carmel - let us assume that he started working there last year. His starting salary was thirty thousand one hundred and seventy one dollars. As the year went by he should have in a normal year increase his salary to thirty one thousand four hundred and eighty one dollars and then the subsequent year, according to the table, it would have increased and again and again - over the course of his lifetime he would have earned one million two hundred and ninety two thousand eight hundred and eight dollars. A lot - right? Almost two hundred thousand would have gone in income tax."

Now, Bonilla explains what a teacher's salary would look like if government's proposed four year increment freeze is implemented.

Miguel Bonilla

"In the first year, the salary didn't increase. In the second year it didn't increase; in the third year it didn't increase; in the fourth year it didn't increase and now in the fourth year which the government is proposing it didn't increase. Now let us look at the second scenario which is the actual scenario being proposed. His earnings would have been one million two hundred and eighteen thousand one hundred and thirty-eight dollars. If you notice there is a profound difference between what he should have gotten in a normal year to what he is getting in a pandemic year."

According to Bonilla, this example shows how a four-year increment freeze would short this teacher over seventy thousand dollars over the duration of his teaching career.

Miguel Bonilla

"According to the government, over the four years he should have lost approximately five thousand two hundred and forty dollars however if you minus over a lifetime what he lost you will end up with a total of losing seventy-four thousand six hundred and seventy dollars. So, that is the profound economic impact of a salary freeze over four years."

Channel 5