The UPP Pays Public Servants

The United Progressive Party (UPP) government commenced the arduous task of liquidating decades of accumulated back pay owed to public servants by paying out $15 million to affected categories of public servants in December 2004.

In 2005, the Sunshine Government continued its campaign to correct this wrong and appalling state of affairs by implementing the long outstanding 7% wage increase that was promised to civil servants since 2000.

In the meantime, the government, in 2006, started the process of clearing back pay that was owing to civil servants since 1995. The outstanding amount was $32 million and the UPP started the liquidation process by paying $8 million to public servants in December 2006.

This Government then promised to pay the remaining $24 million over the course of 2007.

That process was started in January 2007 with the teachers and have to date paid over $22.7 million in back pay to public servants across all ministries.

By year end, 2007 all persons who were owed back pay for the 1995/1996 period were paid in full.

This is yet another promise made and honoured by the Sunshine Government.

While, we take pride in this achievement, the government paid over $100 million in back pay to public servants.

Due to the irresponsible and callous actions of the former Administration, the UPP Government had to fork out $71 million to liquidate back pay that is still outstanding for the period 2000 to 2002 and about $30 million in back pay for travelling and mileage increases that were promised as far back as 1994 and never paid.

Now, with their Agenda for Bankruptcy manifesto, the ALP is promising to go back to those bad old days. Their Agenda for Bankruptcy virtually guarantees massive debt and the myriad of problems associated with it, including the inability to pay wages. We can’t go back.

Unlike the ALP, the UPP government has promised to deliver and has fulfilled on its obligations.