Bunting calls for anomalies in police overtime payments to be addressed

 

Opposition Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting has called for the Police High Command and the Ministry of National Security to correct the anomalies in the payment of overtime to members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. 

 

Speaking at Tuesday's annual conference of the Jamaica Police Federation in Hanover, Mr. Bunting warned that the overtime impasse is a vexed issue that must be addressed by the authorities.

 

"I hear so many complaints about the chaos and uncertainty with regard to overtime. Payments are late, the amounts are unpredictable, paper-based payslips take up to 10 days to be received after payday, so persons have to be speculating on what the figure that was deposited to their account really represents. Furthermore, I see the officers assigned to the opposition filling out some ridiculous amount of paperwork to claim their overtime. It is very tedious and seems really archaic in this digital age. So it doesn't surprise me to see that there is such issues. There is so much inefficiency and so many times the payment is not correct," he pointed out. 

 

Mr. Bunting said the government must also resume paying increments to police officers.

 

"In September last year, the confederation of trade unions signed an agreement to restore increments by April 1, 2025. Teachers, correctional officers, civil servants and other public sector workers like JUTC drivers are getting it. Police men and women are part of the public sector. They should not be discriminated against. They, too, must be paid the increments that were unilaterally withheld from them," declared the opposition spokesman.

 

The payment of increments to public sector employees was scrapped under the compensation review, but the issue was renewed last year following negotiations between the government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions.