Caption: Felisha Thomas
By Alicia Chamely
PUBLIC Services Association (PSA) President Felisha Thomas is accusing the People’s National Movement (PNM) Opposition of attempting to create mischief and mislead the public with false claims that a 9% wage increase was offered to the association during their time in office.
Speaking on Tuesday at the PSA headquarters in Port of Spain, Thomas said, “I found it very disingenuous of the Opposition to go before the public, workers, civil servants, and say that they had an offer of 9% on the table for the very same period, trying to minimise what has been won on behalf of public officers.”
Hailing the government’s 10% offer as a victory, she targeted former minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning for claiming the PNM government had made a 9% wage offer over a six-year period. Manning was speaking at a post-budget Opposition news conference on Monday.
Thomas said, “Last night (Monday night) I heard Brian Manning calling on me, as the president of the PSA, to address the issue of the 10% and the offer made by the Minister of Finance. It was unfortunate to hear that call from Brian Manning, because more than anyone else in the Opposition, Brian Manning sat in the Ministry of Finance and should have known exactly what was placed on the table for public officers.”
Accusing the Opposition of feeling threatened by the Government’s fulfilment of their election promise, Thomas presented the first offer given to the PSA by the former government on May 19, 2022. The offer, for the period 2014-2018, proposed a 2% salary increase, spread over eight years. “0,0,0,0,1,0,0,1,” she showed.
She said a second offer was brought to the table on June 17, 2022. For the period 2014 to 2016: “0,0,2,” and for 2017 to 2019: “0,0,2.”
“So, the offer that was placed on behalf of public officers was an offer of 4% over a period of six years,” she explained.
Thomas would go on to share this information in a now widely circulated social media post.
Continuing to read from what she described as her “evidence,” she read, “Having carefully taken into account the following factors, the State proposes a remuneration package, a true copy of which is attached as Appendix Three, which includes a 4% increase in salary over the two periods…as 0% in 2014, 0% in 2015, 2% in 2016, 0% in 2017, 0% in 2018, and 2% in 2019. With respect to COLA, the CPO proposes that there be no consolidation of COLA.”
“This is what they have been fighting us in court to impose, that 4%, that disrespectful 4% on workers. Comrades yesterday was a day of victory,” she said.
Thomas accused the Opposition of trying to create mischief and confusion, sending a harsh message to Manning, “I continue to say to Brian Manning, be quiet, stay silent. The message was sent before and was sent yesterday—sit down and stay out of public officers’ business.”
While Thomas could not confirm when negotiations would start, she said the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) had received the PSA’s letter requesting a meeting.
