The Police Welfare Association (PWA) is pushing for overtime pay as a key demand in its ongoing salary negotiations with the government.
PWA President Cameron Laure disclosed this as the association awaits a return to the negotiating table with the Government Negotiating Team (GNT), following a decision by its members at a meeting on Monday.
Earlier that day, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a press statement announcing that the agreement reached between the GNT and the Trade Union Federation (TUF) for a 13 per cent pay increase for public sector workers had been approved by Cabinet. However, the statement acknowledged that negotiations were still ongoing with some unions and associations.
When Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre first announced the wage increase last December, the PWA was among the associations that said they had not yet reached agreement.
Reaffirming this stance, Laure told St Lucia Times on Tuesday: “Our position, as given to us by our members at our general meeting on Monday, is to write to the employer through the negotiating team, asking them to return to the negotiating table to renegotiate the proposal that we put forward at our meeting before the last.”
A key issue raised by the association is the lack of compensation for overtime work.
“Sometimes we work in excess of 96 hours for a week or more and are being asked for this to be gratis and forgo any form of compensation. No, we are asking for compensation for overtime pay in one form or another,” Laure said.
The association is also concerned about salary disparities between police officers and firefighters in similar grades.
Laure emphasised that at no point did the PWA accept the government’s proposed wage increase.
The association has formally written to the GNT outlining its position and is awaiting a response.
“If we do not receive a response by Friday – and depending on the response or lack thereof – we will decide how to proceed,” Laure warned.
The agreement between the GNT and the TUF covers members of the Saint Lucia Civil Service Association, Saint Lucia Fire Service Association, Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Association, Saint Lucia Nurses Association, Saint Lucia Teachers Union, and the Vieux Fort Dock and General Workers Union.
Under the terms of the agreement, public sector workers represented by these six TUF affiliates will receive salary increases of six per cent for the 2022–2025 period and seven per cent for 2025–2028. The back pay, which will be tax-free, is scheduled for disbursement next month.
I find the PWA are unfair in their memes and their statements. Don’t get me wrong, the police deserve a raise in salary and payment for overtime. But do not use the fire service in your crap.
It was distasteful to produce those memes and make your untruth statements.
This is the first time that the fire service has ever been in a position where they get more take-home pay than the police. The police have always had more take-home salary and never has the fire service ever dragged or disrespected the police in their pursuit for better pay. The PWA needs to apologise for their approach and disrespect. If not!!! You have opened yourself to a bigger long-term issue than you can handle.
Pay us our money we are risking our lives daily to protect the citizens of all within our borders. We often have to settle with substandard meals at work and at home, which hampers our focus on the job and keep staying physically fit. For all reasons and purposes monies are required to meet our daily supplement demands and we cannot continue to place ourselves at the mercy of some who fill that void and yet we have to turn and persecute them for ills. The 2 hands clapping is what we currently MUST do, it will obviously hinder our operation to curb crime if the very offenders are meeting the needs which your administration and others have continuously done for decades no. Drop it!
i agree for the police to get more money. but to get overtime pay will be detrimental cuz u know why? they will never leave work at an appropriate time they will leave all 5 or 6 hours late everyday. government wont have enough money to pay overtime. if an officer is called in to work on his day off i agree for overtime to be paid, when he is ask to stay back then time off is more appropriate.