Duke "disgusted" with CPO's 5% offer, with accept nothing less than 10%

“It’s deja vu for public officers."

Talks between the Chief Personnel Office (CPO) and the Public Services Association (PSA) Wednesday failed to break the deadlock between the two sides over wages.

PSA president Watson Duke told reporters Wednesday the CPO is not willing to negotiate on the latest offer of a five per cent pay increase. He said she told the PSA the offer is only on condition that the PSA accept it.

Duke said the five per cent will cost the Government an additional $98 million per year for the period. 

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with the CPO Wendesday Duke said after 12 meetings nothing has been accomplished "save and except a threat and a reminder that if we do not take the five per cent then we will have to take one per cent." He added, "We view this with utter disgust."

The PSA boss said, "We are told that this is all the money they can afford on people, whereas they want to spend $180 something million on lights at the airport to put money into contractors' pockets who already have."

Duke said taking the five per cent is not an option and noted that the minimum that the PSA will take is double that. He said he considers the present pay to be half of what it should be, adding that workers should not be expected to work beyond their lunch hour.

"We view this salary as nothing more than an allowance and I am saying when it reach lunch time all the public servants in Trinidad and Tobago will have already worked for that old money, which is no longer current and relevant," he said.

Duke said on January 28 the PSA will join the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) in another demonstration against Government's offer to their members.That is just days before the next scheduled meeting with the COP on February 1.

He also said what is happening today is similar to developments during the NAR administration when public sector workers were forced to take a ten per cent pay cut. “It’s deja vu for public officers," he told reporters.

“We have weapons of mass destruction,” he declared without giving an explanation of what he meant. “We are incensed. We are mad. Every single public officer has the right to be mad and hateful towards the Government.”