A meeting on Friday between the government and the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) has failed to produce a compromise in the long standing dispute over salary increases for public workers.
“We sent some information to the government and based on that information we are confident that the government can afford to pay more than what it is offering,” Thomas Letang, General secretary of the DPSU told Dominica News Online. “As a result of that we have rejected government’s offer.”
He said government offered of 1 percent salary increase for 2010/11 and 1.5 percent for 2011/12 but the union is sticking to its position of 3 percent. “Our position is 3 percent and it is 3 percent,” he said firmly.
Thomas said the union will be holding an executive meeting on Tuesday and will be meeting with the general membership soon after that to chart the way forward. “We will be having some public meetings and then we will decide how to take it from there,” he said.
Thomas made it clear that industrial action is very much on the table and the purpose of the upcoming meetings is to mobilize members. When pressed on the possibilities of such action Letang said, “nothing is impossible. We just have to mobilize people. Once you mobilize people and you give them information, then it is very likely whatever action we decide to take is in the interest of supporters.”
He however said the matter is not being rushed. “We have a strategy in place and we are working on our strategy,” he said.
To civil servants just look at how easy it was for the Co forget to la d $10000 from the minister by just walking up the ministry. That is an impetus to open up your minds and ask a plethora of questions. Things are tough for most Dominicans , really rough yet the ministers can dish out that much cash without proper accounting. Believe it or not this is not just an isolated incident.
they growing economicc times you asking for 3%.What is 3% in real time ?
Imagine your grocery bill for the month. Can 3% of what ever salary you making as a civil servant can help foot the bill?certainly not and yet we wasting our time to argue for 1%.what bull? this is an insult to public servant by government to offer 1% and it is even worse for Letang to engage Governmnent in dialogue .Tell them to hold their 1%!certainly this is not a curse worth fighting for!This is a total waste of time.Atfer all the sacrifices we have made as civil servant after all what we have gone through this is how we are being treated by our beloved Skerrit,Shame ,shame ,shame!
3% not even $20 on so many public servants salary
allu hearing what public servants asking for an extra $20 to cover the rising costs of everything
including an increase in Social security contributions (which is manditory). Rent in the country is a third of your salary groceries is another third and utilities is the rest
Bomb we bombing ride to get to work when it’s all said and done
We not asking to be millionaire’s we just asking for an ease of our plight so that we can be able to buy our children a new pair of shoes before the other one get holes and not after
Really it is unfair to compare us with NY since these people get food stuff much cheaper than us. One coffee $1.99 & in DA the same coffee is $31. There is no need to buy clothes & shoes everyday, but one must eat everyday. Also when you hear sale in NY, it is sale. In DA is until it dry rot they put stuff on sale; by then you get no value for your money. Please do not compare us with NY.
Enough is Enough!! Pay us and vex with us!!
What percentage salary adjustment did government ministers take?
What about their allowances and other benefits?
Do they buy groceries at the same supermarkets as Public Servants do?
People are living pay checque to pay checque, you get less groceries for more money!
I say: Public Servants Unite and stand up for your rights!!
Mr. Letang, too much prevarication. If you sitting on the fence too long you bound to fall off. Call a strike nuh!. If your membership does not follow you will bow your head with honour, if you don’t call a strike you will bow your head in shame and still lose. Come on garcon, go for it, nothing to lose!
letang you must use information to battles these dirty politicans
get a list of the rampant dutyfree they giving to their boomboomflies
get a list of tax payers money they giving in the red cancer clinic
get a list of lpo they giving
get a list of bobol money they deprived from going to the treasury
check their traveling allowance yearly
check their gas billed to government
and the prices of the vehicles they buying, and the prices of the houses they building
you have to use something to compare civil servants personal developement
Mr latang am getting tied of your talk now enough is engough get the hell up from your chair and do something to help these poor people everyday Skerrit and his cababl salary going up they eating, sleeping and drinking confortable and those of us that working so hard cannot even come closet to that, and you as our union leader just talking, talking , talking man am tied with all that talk do something nowwwwwwwwwwww show Skerrit and his gang our children and family need to servie also, or else you mr latang will be just like them and pretending to be helping………….the time is nowwwwww.
If you in new york and you want to take 0 0 0 is yur dam business, comout in those people place, we here want our money, stay in yur snow and hush yur mout newyorkerrrr, thomas we wif yu, yu taking too dam long, if it was charlo the country wud be at a standstill longtime, forward on, lets march, STRIKE!
Government can afford to pay the 3% and they do not needs to lay off any staff to do that. The Government just need to reduce the amount of duty free that they give to all those people who can afford to pay their duty. They also need to allow retired public officers to go home to enjoy their pension, gratuity and social security and have the current officers work. A major other area is for the Government to pay those people employed on contracts to be paid similar to what the regular public officers are getting, cause some contracted officers are earning way more that wat normal officers are getting and a big gratuity at the end of one one year or two years. Paying them regularly or just not giving them contracts will reduce cost considerably. Finally allow the inland revenue division to collect their taxes on the people making those big money in the country. Including those being paid from the treasury, Minister of Finance allow the tax to be deducted. Finally all those people that coming from oversees to do surgery for free, because they know people that know people, make them pay. They come get waiver for hospital fees for surgery and treatment, then they gone after…..make them pay their fees. At the end of the day only the public officers caring the country, they paying VAT, income tax, duty on everything, no education assistant, no housing assistance, no tax break, gratuity after 10 years service, no freeness for public officers, so why is them to get the shorter end of the stick. Public officers deserve the 3% and that can be given in a breeze, ah those people get salary reduction, levy, got paid late all interest on their loan went up in the time. No they are told that we are experience some growth, please that is all those hard working officers will get in the entire country. mr letang do not accept less than 3% and the other unions need to collaborate in this, it is a common cause.
it’s the responsiblity of an employer to meet inflation increases on a yearly bases and since the government can afford state palace, highways from roseau to portsmouth, state college and other road renovation projects, why then can’t they meet the basic rate of inflationary increase to their employees? according to these folks the economy is doing well so why are they so unwilling to give an increase which is just the inflationary rate? rate of inflation information at the following website: http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/facts-figures/americas/dominica/
I really don’t understand what is going on in this country. The ones who should be educating the people are the ones leading in destruction and malice. Every other country in the world is trying there best not to create a disaster by laying off public servants. The UK has froze civil servants salary for two yrs. In a country where people want everything and give nothing you get 1% , say thank God. Wake up Dominicans and smell the coffee.
You just said that you “really don’t understand whats going on” and for that I applaud you. Therefore continue to keep you boca shut before removing all doubt that you are a complete IDI*T.
Assertive, NOT Agressive!
Where is Govt getting the money for the 3% increase? Are we trying to save the jobs of others since some of us are not public officers?
where did they get money to give themselves the 52% increase? the $1,000.00 monthly for medicals? they can find it, they know!!
The same place they get money to build a palace nuh!
Charlo, make sure you have the names of all strikers and do not dismiss them, but fire them!
Charlo shut the country down for 21% in 1979. since then cost of living has increase over 21%. GOVERNment officials give themselves a 50% raise now they want public servant to take 1%? Hell No!!Letang should be asking for 15%.
We need some action in Dominica. Wake up wake up my people. Things have to change,
Letang, I ready and waiting for the industrial action. However I will hold my breath for now because I have a funny feeling you will offer the 2% counter offer Skerro is ready to give to you at the last hour.
Assertive, NOT Agressive!
The country broe yet they planning general elections. They start contacting diasporans to come back and to again.
They cannot pay civil servants yet millions passing under the table – one lawyer baking and hacking millions for a certain corrupt millionaire minister. Civil servants cais swais zor sort , sue, ebeh cagoo, tebeh , fubere , kuyon.
The Government must invest in the productive sector in order pay its workers.
@Zenfan,Whoever takes a reduction in salary when everything is going up.Sorry to say this but 8% is too much to take in reduction.Why don’t the top bosses take the reduction.It is always the lower class that has to take what the top class will not take.These teachers should stand their ground.Shame on them
Thomas Letang is a joker if is charlo he will get what he ask for or he will take it to the streets already .
For the people:
Charlo did not take to the streets for civil servants, he used the civil servants to bring down the Labour Party of Patrick John to put the Freedom Party in power.
He later got paid- job in Brussels. With his political alignment and partisan he could no longer represent the civil servants against his government -“Freedom Party”, Mamo shipped him.
Dominica never recovered from the 49 days strike. I dare civil servants to strike now; Skeritt and his puppet police force will waste them.
Government may have to layoff workers in other to pay the 3% increase.The union needs to consider that may be the outcome.
Yes, layoff the lazy ministers, the non performing advicers and those who spend time campaigning om radio all day.
why the ministers not taking a reduction themselves from the hefty 50% increase and the size of the cabinet with those stiff salaries they getting. so the public servants have to suffer while the ministers and their cabal living large… utter nonsense
if that lazy vote buying government stop buying house and bus for people in vielle case and stop giving rampant dutyfree and stop giving money to lazy people that dont want to work, then they could afford a 100 percent increase.
Long time i know mister foo…Is he aware of what going on in the rest of the world?
How much more does Letang have to take before some kind of action is going to be taken. Letang is affraid that because of the Skerrit labor Party popularity, anything that is thrown at the Public Servants they will accept it. My grandma always reminded me that nothing beats a failure but a trial.Unless Letang pulls his workers out,he will never know what the results will be. As far as I am concerned,enought talk,even it means it is only you and your executive, you have got to show some fortitude, get the hell out.
I want to know if dominica is the richest country in the world, MR LETANG. while around the world every employee is trying to save a co-worker’s job by accepting a reduction in salary, you on the other hand is trying to promote strike. very dissapointed in educated men like you. I hope your followers are aware of what is going on arounnd the world. Imagine recently public servant in the virgin Islands accepted a salary reduction of 8% to avoid layoffs although the virgin Islands have a godfather,THE UNITED STATES. It is a shame.
who cares where in the world accepts what. i don’t care. some ppl in dominica too sort. they living pay check to pay check they cant even save a dime at the end of the month but they that want to run their mouth. i want my 3% and is that i want. while ministers getting 50% we getting 1%. nonsense that. they say the poor will always be poor and the rich will always be rich but i ain’t accepting that. stay poor if you want.
you forget social security taking one percent at the end of january, 4 dollars for a sadine and they weighting barlaow now…
In NY we were offered 0%,0% and 2% for three years.
Who cares
who the hell cares about ny, doh come there with your america kochonie… we leaving in d/ca not usa.. if you not working you will get food stamps, if we not working we have to eat our sheet..
ny u really dont know what u talking about. Over a 13 year span Public servants haven’t received 6% so watch what u saying. We accepted so many zeroes over the last ten years, even minus we accepted when they brought in stabilization levee. So don’t bring up useless information. We are tired of holding on by our nails. Gov’t ministers got so much on their salaries and even allowances. Wake up and smell the coffee in DA. It has been a gwayay ever since.
And did you all accept it??? well that is your business ny…all you can still make it….all you getting coupons in the papers every week to save on items. all you getting reduction on meat just two days after it’s put on the shelf…so all you can more see all you way. stop trying and compare ny which is just one city/state with Dominica.
SHORT UR MOUTH CUZ UR NOT A PUBLIC SERVANT.
such ignorance! don’t cut your nose to spite your face. Think about the action you take today, it may cost you much more tomorrow.
When u w p was in power and teachers went on strike for 21 days and eddo in time was pm, why you did not say anything