Civil servants demand pay rise after talking about pay rise for government ministers

Civil servants reacted to possible salary increases for Cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed at the end of the week that “many of my ministers, since the last legislature, would have told me that at some point we must review the remuneration of parliamentarians”.

The comment prompted civil servants to take to social media and radio to also demand a pay rise alongside any raise given to ministers.

The collective clamor is that nurses, teachers and police officers also deserve long-awaited pay rises.

Currently, a government minister is paid EC$13,000 a month including allowances, Browne told the Observer last night.

In arguing for a raise, the Prime Minister argued that compared to the Cayman Islands, local parliamentarians do not earn adequate salaries.

He also said their salaries were “lower than a number of civil servants” in Antigua and Barbuda.

“If you were to do an analysis of the work ministers do, and in particular the pay, many would say they are underpaid, based on the existing pay scales, even in Antigua and Barbuda, both in the public and private sectors,” Browne said.

However, he added that while increases can be considered, it would not be possible now and certainly not without increasing the salaries of civil servants as well.