Opposition wants Government to properly account for delay in salary payments

 

Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson wants the Government to state definitively when thousands of teachers and other public servants will receive their March salaries.

 

At the close of the business day Friday, thousands of civil servants were left fuming at the non payment of their salaries.

 

The delay in the payment of salaries comes after several public sector groups signed the Government's wage deal this month.

 

It's expected that those civil servants will begin receiving their new and retroactive salaries in this month's payment cycle.

 

Mr Robinson told Radio Jamaica News that the late payments have affected the meeting of obligations and he wants the Government cover all late fees and penalties that might be incurred by the civil servants.

 

While acknowledging that the appropriate calculations are being done, as a prelude to making the new payments, Mr Robinson asserted that "there's really no excuse that people have not been properly communicated with about when they're going to receive their , given the obligations that they have and given the climate that we are in, where people survive on a month-to-month basis, and many of them run out of money before they receive their new salary."