JCTU hopeful remaining public sector workers will be paid today

 

The President of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), Helene Davis Whyte, is expressing hope that public sectors workers who have not yet received their December salaries will do so today.

 

Public sector workers should have been paid Tuesday, but some, including those in the public health care system were told their salaries would be delayed.

 

In an interview with Radio Jamaica News, Mrs Davis Whyte said more workers were paid up to late Tuesday night.

 

She said of the more than 50 Ministries, Departments and Agencies, about 12 had been having challenges with dispensing salaries due to issues with their payroll system. 

 

"Apparently there are some of the payroll systems that aren't able to deal with the complexities, I would say, of the new [compensation] system because government departments don't all use the same payroll system. And so those that have payroll systems that aren't able to deal with it, some have crashed and they have had to practically restart the work, and so that is what has caused the problem," she explained. 

 

Mrs Davis Whyte said the Ministry of Finance has been assisting entities experiencing delays in paying salaries, with some, including the Jamaica Fire Brigade, being rectified late Tuesday evening. 

 

Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, told a press conference that five ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were yet to receive clearance for salary payments as of Wednesday morning. 

 

But he said the issue should be addressed by Wednesday afternoon. 

 

 

The Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) has already started to get complaints about salary calculations under the new public sector compensation scheme.

 

JCSA President O'Neil Grant told the Morning Agenda on Wednesday that the concern is from travelling officers. 

 

He pointed specifically to the tax component, noting that a greater portion of the workers' salaries is now taxable. 

 

"Persons are indicating, for instance, that their salary has not increased by 100%, but they are paying 100% more in tax in one month," he disclosed. 

 

Mr. Grant suggested their is need for an analysis of "how the government has gone about the calculation of their arrears" to determine whether the calculation is in fact correct.