“Government made a decision, a commitment to public servants, to give a salary increase,” Premier Joseph E Farrell confirmed during a press conference on 11 January.
Responding to a question from the media, he said he recognises the pressures of the budget, but reassured public workers: “We are committed to do that.”
The premier, who is also finance minister, added that the government is “looking at other ways and means of cushioning the impact” of crises such as the cost of living.
However, he did not provide any further details, saying only, “we’re not saying specifically what it is”.
In Farrell’s new year’s day message, he said that at the beginning of 2023 he had promised a salary increase for public officers – and they all got a 3% raise effective April last year.
The government also adjusted the salary scales of all teachers, nurses and police officers to bring them in line with their peers in the main stream public service, he said.
The premier added in his message that he also recognised that some categories of public officers had been “grossly underpaid”.
These included housekeepers, orderlies, drivers, kitchen staff, geriatric aids, office attendants and some clerical staff.
“To address this, government took the bold decision to abolish the lower salary scales allowing for a minimum salary within the public service of over $2,000 monthly,” he said.
In his message he said the government will continue to examine salary scales across the public service, with the intention to align them with regional and international trends.
