Police Welfare Association (PWA) rejects DLP Government’s offer of 0% salary increase for three years

The Police Welfare Association (PWA) is “disappointed and dissatisfied” at a wage freeze offer made by the DLP Government, for the 2015 to 2018 triennium, and has rejected it. That’s according to Chairman of the Association, Jefferson Drigo.
 
The PWA met with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), Gloria Joseph, who is heading the Government’s negotiating team, on March 6, 2017, and asked for a 15 percent wage increase, and appeared to be resolved that their members feel such an increase is justified.
 
However, the Government on its part offered a wage freeze, and the executive of the PWA is now scheduled to meet its membership on March 10, 2017, to decide on the way forward for further negotiations.
 
According to Drigo, the PWA took all factors into consideration including the state of the economy, Government Fiscal Performance, the real Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the relative income values in the state and in neighbouring countries of the OECS before arriving at its 15 percent over the three-year period.
 
Drigo said, Police officers are “very committed, dedicated and hard-working” in their jobs and by law, a police officer “cannot neglect his duty and shy away from any incidents that need his intervention, no matter which department he works, therefore, the risk is the same, and all officers should be entitled to a high-risk allowance”.
 
The PWA Chairman believes the police officers deserve the 15 percent increase they are requesting. He added, “We expect better from the Government. We will be meeting them again on March 21, 2017, and we expect that they will be offering us something similar to what we are requesting. our proposal is for a 15% increase, and for now we are not moving from that”.