Duke backs PM’s pay increase, tells unions to demand equity

Freelance Correspondent

The Prime Minister’s proposed salary increase is “not enough,” says Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke. Duke told Guardian Media the base salary for the PM should start at $100,000.

Duke, in a social media video yesterday afternoon, said the Prime Minister was worth more than the $87,000 recommended by the Salaries Review Commission (SRC). The SRC’s recommendations include raising Dr Keith Rowley’s salary from $59,680 to $87,847 over three years, while Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s pay would increase from $29,590 to $52,159.

Judges, magistrates, and other high-ranking officials, including THA officials, are also set to benefit.

Duke said, “The Prime Minister is worth every single cent. And I’m no fan of Rowley—I’m no friend of his. As a matter of fact, I’m a bona fide foe—but he’s worth more than $85,000. Our economy is a good economy, and he’s worth more than that.”

He then called on Parliament to adopt the SRC’s recommendations. “Pay those who have worked and who are part of the SRC. Pay them what was recommended. Don’t quarrel over that. Yeah, somebody has to be paid for other persons to get paid. And if that’s what they want to do, you take out of that and deal with it afterwards. But let them be paid.”

He called on trade unions not to argue but to use the approval of the increases to press for better wages for public servants on the basis that “If it’s good for Peter, it’s good for Paul.”

He added, “The trade unions must stop the talk and get down to action. There must be a strategy … Let them pay themselves because it’s an indication that the economy is doing better. It’s an indication that people are paying what they are worth. And so, therefore, the union must use that same strategy and say, ‘Pay us what we are worth.’”

Since the pay hike proposal, there have been criticisms from several quarters, with the public questioning the timing and current economic situation.

But Duke felt once implemented, workers can use it to their advantage. “We’re talking equity, we’re talking fairness, we’re talking justice. It will further motivate workers to stand up and fight for what they are worth. But nobody wins when everybody loses. Who wins?” Duke asked.

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