Govt’s Offer Of 2.5% Pay Increase Accepted
The Government’s offer of a 2.5% pay increase, retroactive until 1st April 2017, has been accepted by the Bermuda Public Services Union.
A Government spokesperson said, “Today the Minister of Cabinet Office with Responsibility for Government Reform, Lovitta Foggo, announced the signing of a new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA] between the Government and the Bermuda Public Services Union [BPSU].
“As it relates to this new CBA, Minister Foggo notes that the Government’s offer of a 2.5% pay increase, retroactive until 1st April 2017, has been accepted.
“The public will be aware that since July 2017, the new Government had committed to concluding negotiations with public sector unions to ensure a healthy partnership for the delivery of critical services to the community.
Minister Foggo, BPSU General Secretary Ed Ball Jr. and BPSU President Jason Hayward conduct the symbolic CBA signing
Minister Foggo said today, “We consider this a very important development for the Government and for the BPSU membership. I wish to acknowledge the hard work of the Public Sector Negotiation Team comprising of Gary Phillips, Martin Law and John Harvey. Since coming into office, this Government committed to upholding fairness.
“And with this new CBA, we are fulfilling our promises whilst demonstrating that we appreciate the good works of our public service. While the negotiation process continues with various other unions, the Government is pleased to highlight the successful completion of the BPSU agreement.”
The President of BPSU Jason Hayward said, “The Bermuda Public Services Union [BPSU] is pleased to advise that today, the Union and the Government of Bermuda signed a new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA] that will conclude in September 2020. Given that this is the first negotiated CBA since 2008 for the civil service, this is a significant milestone for our membership.
“The 2.5% cost of living adjustment [COLA] increase, and other contractual gains are a morale booster for our members especially after years of sacrifice. This agreement was achieved through a collaborative process of interest-based negotiations.
“The new collective agreement will ensure a working environment where public service officers can focus on providing world-class service both locally and internationally.
“The agreement also strengthens the BPSU’s working relationship and partnership with the Government, and will enhance working conditions for public service officers.”
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Where’s the money coming from. It’s the same old that will get us into trouble; the government negotiating with the government. How about the taxpayer?
Money grows on trees silly, we will just plant more trees simple as that, now go enjoy the banquet there’s a good little voter/taxpayer. Anyway we don’t answer those sort of questions.
The taxpayer pays for the public service and yes it would eventually affect the tax increases in 2018 budget, but the question that the taxpayer has to ask is the public service employees worthy of a pay increase as the rate of inflation rises??? These public service employees are also tax payers who pay for the inmates who are locked up which might I say includes their medical care. So yes I support our public service employees who keep this country operating.
Without the taxes paid by the private sector, the public sector would not be able to operate.
So I would say it is the former that keeps the ‘country operating.’
4 months in power this Government does something that O.B.A. couldnt do in 5 years, SpongeBob told seniors money dont grow on trees but found money to host a sailboat race for Billionaires.
Priceless
I am a BPSU member and I didn’t know about any of this, and neither did my Department. We got sold out. Thanks for nothing.
Hey now stop ya noise we will tell you when you need to be told.
Talk to the shop steward of your area, as an email of the general meeting was sent out.
Some shop stewards and division HEADS are useless. It boggles the mind that there has to be a mass meeting when decisions have been made but very little detail is sent via the same shop stewards about what is happening behind the scenes for the membership.
Let it be a food hamper drive and the shop stewards are all over you.
Let it be some form of negotiations and……..silence…………….”Just show up to the meeting and voice your concerns”……never a prelude to what’s happening.
Next time attend membership meetings amd you would be more informed.
What do you expect when the president of the union is a member of the ruling party?
Remember when people on this forum were warning against Hayward’s conflicts of interests and saying he should resign from one of his roles?
This is why.
When people are concerned about PLP conflicts of interest we aren’t just anti-PLP. It’s a real issue and it finally affects you.
U.B.P. have been a conflict of interest since Oligarchy days.
Interesting that you didn’t know since they called a general membership meeting and told us and we all voted.
Your Shop Steward should have told you about the recent membership meeting. Members were well informed.
Everybody’s smiling. Happy days…NOT!
Jason is so handsome
I know right?
Had it been a different party their would have been industrial action. So sad all the hypocrisy.
Spend spend spend.
So does this mean a cash bonus for the back dating? A Christmas bonus? Why the backdate? This is surely not an increase but barely keeping salaries from depreciating even more.
Retroactive =. Cash bonus
Easy when it’s not your money.
Jason got helped to keep his mouth shut after embarrassing Burt just after the election.
No raises in cost of living for a decade and all we get is 2.5%?
That’s 0.25% A YEAR!
Easy pickings when the pres. is a senator.
Absolutely no way the PLP keeps their promise of balancing our budget.
Of course they won’t they haven’t even kept 75% of their “promises” DOING THE SAME S%#$ THE OBA DID…FAILED WITH THEIR PROMISES!
The most important for both parties was reducing the defecit and moving towards a balanced budget.
0.025% over ten years for cost of living…
Plus all the ‘merit’ increases you lot get.
And the 6+ weeks vacation and 70 days ‘sick’ leave.
Most of us in the private sector haven’t had pay increases in a decade either. And we can be fired, unlike civil servants, who have guaranteed jobs for life.
How can he wear four hats
It never ceases to amaze me how the work of the civil service isnt appreciated. They are expected to work as though enslaved. Ofcourse a cost of living increase is long overdue. In addition the civil service pay grades are far lower than private sector equivalents. Not to mention the sacrifices made on a daily basis not to mention extraordinary ones that have been made in recent years. Im ashamed by many of the ungrateful comments of persons in this my country.
Actually, if I recall from the furlough day protests, the average public sector salary is higher than the average private sector pay. And that doesn’t take into account the massive benefits received (ie vacation, sick etc.).
Hardly comparable to being ‘enslaved.’
What sacrifices do you make on a daily bra? LMAO I would love weeks and weeks of vacation/sick days!
None of ya business really. But if u truly need to know, I work very late every evening, almost every weekend and public holidays as well, without compensation. Most ofy vacation days are carried over. Not to mention the underpaid post every civil servant works in for underfilled departments, or the fact that the entire service sacrificed a days pay each and every monther for 2 years. You do not know me so do not go there with me u jack.
I don’t believe for one minute that a Unioner works for no compensation. Lies.
i don’t believe for one minute that a Union member works for ‘no compensation.’ Lies.
And as I noted above statistics have shown that the average public sector salary is higher than the average private sector salary.
My favorite stat though is how the taxpayer foots the annual civil servant sick leave bill to the tune of approximately $10mn.
Liar.
If you don’t like your cushy job, get another one…if you have any marketable skills.
With consumer inflation running at about 2.0% (according to the Bermuda Government Department of Statistics) the represents a real increase in wages, not just a cost of living increase.
Now take it back over the last 5 yrs all the cost of living increases as well consider the increase in deductiobs from our checks…. hmmm ? Get all your facts straight to form a more complete picture. This again doesnt account for the fact that pay grades are below par as it is.
“pay grades are below par as it is.”
So, you’re compensated based on your skill set….you have no skills, so you don’t make much money.
Get it now?
It will be interesting to see what the seniors have to say about the pay rise when the juniors are already are being overpaid with two hours work for eight hours pay, some for just showing up.
You can bet this will send a fire storm of dissatisfaction through out the working public and the voting taxpayer because every body will want a lick of the ice cream.
Posible solution unpaid vacations ; no overtime; no two hour lunch time; or leaving work early on Friday .
If you but knew it Bermuda is still in its own recession and living on credit.
How about a pay raise around the whole Bermuda where it’s needed like ppl that are making less then $15 per hour how bout targeting the whole Bermuda I remember on May of 2005 it was stated that minimum wage should be $16 yet so much jobs are paying less then that it would be nice if the government takes time to sort that out and makes sure that ppl are being paid right
There certainly needs to be consideration for implementing a minimum cost of living wage.
Actually I believe they refee to a livable wage. Living in Bermuda is far too expensive !
This is crazy. What can I say, once again, the only thing the PLP has achieved is giving themselves and now their buddies all pay rises. What have they done for the island? Did they fix the buses yet? No. Just more money for them, every time. Long list of failed, empty promises, every time. Racial talk every time. Same pattern every time.
Why is it when we talk about money every bodys hair stands on end ?
LOL we clearly know why Jason is smiling….smh $$$$$$$$$