Public servants understand that the government needs to rein in spending, but slashing increments across the board is not as fair as it might seem on paper, said Virgin Islands Civil Servants Association Acting President Stephen McMaster this week.
The VICSA has requested that the proposal announced by Premier Dr. Orlando Smith during his budget address – to cut the annual performance-based pay increase for all civil servants by 50 percent – be reconsidered in favour of a policy that spreads the financial pinch more evenly.
If the government had consulted the VICSA, the organisation would have proposed a graduated structure for increment cuts, because the percentage cut disproportionately hurts lower-paid public employees, Mr. McMaster said.
“The junior officer is going to feel that cut much more severely,” Mr. McMaster said. Besides having a higher salary and bigger increments, senior officers are more cushioned from the increment crunch by additional perks like entertainment and phone allowances, he added.
“For several years they’ve been asking [civil servants about the budget] and we’ve been suggesting cutting allowances,” Mr. McMaster said.
See the Feb. 2, 2012 edition for full coverage.