$150 million backpay for Government and public officials

Joshua Seemungal

joshua.seemungal@guardian.co.tt

Senior Multimedia Reporter

If the salary increases proposed by the Salaries Review Commission’s (SRC) 120th report are implemented, the state will pay more than $150 million in back pay. Guardian Media calculated the backpay to be paid for 118 of the offices reviewed – if the SRC’s proposal was implemented.

The SRC’s report evaluated the monthly earnings of 206 offices. It recommended that 93.3 per cent receive a recommended wage increase, 4.5 per cent receive a recommended wage decrease and 2.2 per cent of the offices for maintenance in their current salary.

The SRC’s report suggested salary increases for two periods. From the latest report: Offices classified as ‘politicians’ would receive approximately above $43.2 million in back pay. Among those that would receive nice payouts are the 41 members of parliament, receiving close to $6 million in total, while the 23 or 24 cabinet ministers will get around $9.3 million cumulatively.

This year, the proposed increases were announced at a time when several trade unions, including the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association, rejected Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s five per cent increase offer for the January 2020 to December 2022 bargaining period. Industrial action by port workers has impacted operations at the Port of Port-of-Spain because of wage negotiations and UWI professionals are also making a case for wage increases.

Last week, postal workers intensified protest action over salary increases that their union, the Trinidad and Tobago Postal Workers Union, said had been promised more than a decade ago.

All that against the backdrop of a general election in 2025.

Higher salaries for Government and other public officials are usually not implemented, despite the recommendations in the proposals because of public backlash. However, if the salary increases are not implemented for this proposed period, it would mean more money will have to be spent on backpay when it is implemented in line with compensation reviews. This year has been no different – there has been significant public backlash. If higher salaries are implemented, it would add millions to the Government’s recurrent expenditure on salaries.

Guardian Media reported that the average salary of the CEO’s of three well-known state companies: the Water And Sewerage Authority (WASA), Heritage Petroleum Company and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago is 156 per cent of the Prime Minister’s current salary.

The new chief executive officer of WASA Keithroy Halliday is set to earn $100,000 a month plus perks. Heritage’s CEO Erik Keskula makes around $180,000 a month plus perks, while, as of early 2019, the TSTT’s CEO received $180,000 per month. That’s an average of $153,000 among the three.

The SRC’s proposed salary of $87,847 for the PM would still be around 43 per cent less than the average salary of those three CEOs.

If implemented, this is how the backpay of significant officeholders would work out to be. The Prime Minister would be entitled to over $1 million in back pay.

• Prime Minister – $1.1 million

• Opposition Leader – $960,700

• President – $557,100

• Tobago Chief Secretary – $388,726

• 41 Members of Parliament – $5.96 million

• 31 Senators – $4.4 million

• President of the Senate – $539,470

• Speaker of the House – $703866

• 24 Cabinet Ministers – $9.3 million

• Four Non-Cabinet Ministers – $1.29 million

• VP of the Senate – $281,348

• Deputy Speaker -$353,280

• THA Deputy Chief Secretary – $638806

• Seven THA Secretaries – $4.02 million

• Seven THA Assistant Secretaries – $4.5 million

• THA Minority Leader – $519,030

• 15 THA Assemblyman – $2.8 million

• Port-Of-Spain Mayor – $301,530

• San Fernando Mayor – $281,348

• Chaguanas Mayor – $343348

• Arima Mayor – $411,578

• Point Fortin Mayor— $411,578

• Seven Chairmen of Regional corporations— $2.9 million

• Deputy Mayor POS – $41,944

• Deputy Mayor Sando – $76782

• Deputy Mayor Chaguanas – $101,782

• Deputy Mayor Arima – $138,782

• Deputy Mayor Pt Fortin – $138,782

• Seven Vice Chairmen of Regional Corporations – $971,474

High-ranking members of the Judiciary would receive upwards of $49.8 million in back pay. The 42 magistrates would receive $13.4 million in total. 45 judges, $11.09 million, while 15 Justices of Appeal would collect around $4.2 million.

• Chief Justice – $332,538

• 15 Justices of Appeal – $4.16 million

• Master of the High Court – $111,690

• Industrial Court President – $277,524

• 17 Magistracy Registrars – $6.6 million

• 42 Magistrates – $13.4 million

• Four Deputy Registrar/Marshal – $463,690

• 21 Assistant Registrar/Deputy Marshall – $7.94 million

• Industrial Court VP – $246,348

• 13 Senior Magistrates – $2.97 million

• Court Executive Administrator – $487,922

• Deputy Chief Magistrate – $317,028

• 45 Judges – $11.09 million

• Registrar/Marshall – $501,970

• Registrar Industrial Court – $434,690

• Assistant Registrar Industrial Court – $548,934

‘Senior Public Officials’ would receive, in total, upwards of $49.2 million in back

pay. The 34 Permanent Secretaries would cumulatively collect $13 million. The

26 Deputy Permanent Secretaries would earn more, around $13.5 million.

• Commissioner of Police – $464,970

• Commissioner of Prisons – $433,980

• Chief Fire Officer – $433,980

• Deputy Chief Fire Officer – $376,980

• Deputy Commissioner of Prisons – $263,956

• Director of Public Prosecutions – $383,970

• Assistant DPP – $314,980

• Deputy DPP $477,480

• Deputy COP – $520, 980

• Auditor General – $288,738

• Ombudsman – $374,980

• Police Complaints Authority Director – $571,870

• PCA Deputy Director – $144,956

• Chief Medical Officer – $444,100

• Solicitor General – $383,970

• Chief State Solicitor – $234,980

• Registrar General – $396,480

• Treasury Solicitor – $396,480

• Deputy Solicitor General – $477,480

• Chairman Law Reform Committee – $421,470

• Equal Opportunity Commission Chairman – $295,970

• Integrity Commission Chairman – $433,980

• Public Service Commission Chairman – $787,970

• Teaching Service Commission Chairman – $581,270

• Police Service Commission Chairman – $377,256

• PTSC General Manager – $421,470

• OSHA Executive Director – $133,770

• Administrator THA – $668,270

• Comptroller of Accounts- $501,970

• Deputy Chief Personnel Officer – $520,980

• 34 Permanent Secretaries – $13 million

• 26 Deputy Permanent Secretaries – $13.5 million

• Deputy Director of Personnel Administration – $520,980

• Director, Forensic Science Centre – $520,980

• Chief Education Officer – $352,980

• Comptroller of Customs/Excise – $352,980

• Chief Election Officer – $352,980

• Chief Immigration Officer – $352,980

• Deputy Auditor General – $352,980

• Director of Budgets – $352,980

• Director of Contracts – $214,270

• Deputy Registrar General – $438,270

• Assistant Solicitor General – $438,270

• Assistant Registrar General (Tobago) – $143,456

• Senior Assistant Registrar General – $298,956

• Deputy Comptroller of Accounts – $462,770

• Permanent Secretary Office of the Prime Minister – $695,784

• Head of Public Service – $695,784

• Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance – $512,738

• Financial Intelligence Unit Director – $400,470

• Chief Personnel Officer – $383,970

• Commissioner of Inland Revenue – $421,470

• Chairman Board of Inland Revenue – $421,470

• Assistant Chief State Solicitor – $314,980

• Director of Personnel Administration – $383,970

• Chief Administrator Tobago House of Assembly – $383,970

• Parliamentary Secretary – $725,806

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