By Prior Beharry

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) is an independent office and her government cannot dictate how Public Service Association (PSA) members are paid their salary increases and backpay.

But she has pledged an initial cash payment to public servants before Christmas.

In Parliament on Friday, Persad-Bissessar stressed that the government will “find the resources to honour the 10% salary increase and backpay owed to PSA members,” while negotiations continue on the rollout of the remaining payments with the CPO, Dr Daryl Dindial.

The prime minister noted that while the increase appears to be 10% on the surface, the total value including allowances “works out to approximately 15%.”

She said, “A cash advance will be paid before Christmas, and the remaining arrears will be finalised through lawful negotiations by the parties.”

Her comments come as the PSA and the CPO remain at odds over cash versus non-cash components of the backpay and arrears, with PSA president Felisha Thomas accusing the CPO of being an “obstructionist” and insisting on cash payments only. The CPO has maintained that non-cash payments must remain an option.

Persad-Bissessar reiterated that the CPO’s independence must be respected and that government policy direction remains the province of the Cabinet and the Government.

“So we will not go down inside the negotiation and say give them a piece of land, pay their mortgages, give them a car. No, no, no, not item by item but broader policy direction, certainly, the Cabinet and myself can assist in the deliberations. Everything else is under negotiations,” she said.

She reminded MPs that the matter affects more than 16,000 public officers and tied the wage settlement to broader fiscal responsibility. Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo is coordinating financing and will report to the House.

The prime minister said the November 2025 agreement with the PSA included a 10% salary increase, COLA consolidation for several periods, and backpay estimated at $3.8 billion, with an annual recurrent cost of about $420 million. She said the settlement was “an investment in productivity, human dignity, and a more inclusive national recovery,” rather than a mere cost.

“What is settled is this: the agreement exists, and this Government will honour it,” Persad-Bissessar asserted, noting the deal ends more than a decade without a salary adjustment and contrasts with the 2% and 4% proposals seen in the past.

Persad-Bissessar said, “Progress is best achieved through calm, respectful dialogue. I therefore encourage all parties to allow the established process to proceed professionally and responsibly.”