THE PRIME MINISTER said the government will be accepting the recommendations of the Salaries Review Commission (SRC) for those to whom it pertains. This includes a salary increase for the Office of the Prime Minister.
The increase will see Dr Rowley's salary rise from around $59,000 to $87,847.
The current salaries of the President, Prime Minister and Opposition Leader are $64,270, $59,680 and $29,590 respectively. The SRC recommends increasing them to $81,170, $87,847, and $52,159 respectively.
At the post cabinet media briefing on November 28 at Whitehall, Rowley said, “The government accepts the recommendations of the SRC. To implement it will require a circular from the Minister of Finance, whenever that comes out, and the politics will start or it will end.”
Rowley said he accepts the work done by the SRC.
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“The recommendations have come after work that I believe has been good work and I am prepared to accept their work. As far as I’m concerned that is the end of the story.”
Asked if he thought the new salary was fair, he said, “Whether it is fair or not is not the point. Those who were given the assignment to do it, they have done it, these are the recommendations and I accept it...”
Rowley said he believes TT could pay a decent emolument to its management structure to continue managing the country.
“I am not unaware of the view in some quarters that government and its appendages are a waste of time, and nobody is worth anything. I don’t subscribe to that.
"I subscribe to the fact that the country’s management structure does relatively good work, in some cases excellent work, and where they are to be compensated, I believe the compensation that is recommended by the SRC is not exorbitant for the country’s management structure.”
Rowley said the report was laid in Parliament at the end of a long process, which took nine years. He reminded that the report had been sent back to the SRC to address concerns by the Judiciary.
He said there was one section in the current report which he has instructed Attorney General Gregory Armour, SC, to take to the President. He said this would be dealt with via addendum.
“I have received and seen correspondence between the AG and the chairman and secretary of the SRC with respect to a group of officers who have been impacted by recent developments in the Parliament. A proclamation was done and the outcome was that certain officers under the Judicial and Legal Service Commission were falling in certain locations in the SRC groupings and some of those officers are complaining that as a result of the recent proclamations, they are being unfairly treated by the SRC.
He said this singular matter is being referred to the SRC for further review and to come back in the normal process with their (the SRC) position for those officers.
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There has been vociferous opposition raised to the salary increases led by the UNC and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar who said she and other opposition MPs would not accept and did not need salary increases.
Rowley said Act 23 of 1969, the Prime Minister’s Pension Act, had only been amended once, making it Act 41 of 1976. He said the suggestion by the Opposition Leader that he was trying to set the terms and conditions of his pension was an untruth.
He said while the opposition was publicly saying they would refuse the increase, they were privately clamouring for it.
Rowley said the Opposition Leader would be receiving the same pension as a prime minister when she retires as an MP, as she was in the unusual position of having served as PM prior to becoming Opposition Leader.
Many people on social and traditional media, and in Parliament, have said politicians did not deserve a salary increase at this point in time given the country's economic circumstances. Some have said politicians should be paying the citizens.
Asked if it would subdue some of the uproar to have the SRC explain how it came up with its recommendations, Rowley said it would be a good idea if they (SRC members) were to explain themselves in an interview.
“Maybe members of the SRC on TV explaining to members of the public (would help) but it’s not everybody, especially when they agree to do public service, not everybody may want to come out and be a target of all the opprobrium that may be heaped on them for having the temerity to explain why you approve an increase for these wastrels called politicians. But I think it would be useful.”
Asked if he thought acceptance of the recommendations would make public service wage negotiations harder, he said it was not an either/or situation.
“We expect that the argument will be made in that context that ‘those who were relying on the SRC have gotten their treatment, those who are relying on XYZ, we expect our treatment.’ It doesn’t mean it’s going to be at the same dollar value level (upon) completion of processes. That is what has been happening and will continue to happen.
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“All the processes will continue to work, because the country has a management structure and arrangements for dealing with these things and I will not usurp the authority of the other processes. I will guard them very zealously.”
Pay increases are also recommended for cabinet and non-cabinet ministers; ordinary MPs (government and opposition); senators; the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary; the THA Minority Leader, and heads and members of local government corporations.
