Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Says Government is on the Side of Public Officers

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the Dominica Labour Party is pro-workers.

His statement comes on the heels of recent salary negotiations with the Dominica Public Service Union and recent strike action by disgruntled fire officers.

“We will never do anything to shortchange or undermine the interest of public officers. The negotiations are underway and I have been briefed every step of the way. I look forward very early in the New Year to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion to those negotiations. I am committed to improving and to bettering the lot of public officers in this country. That is why, even outside of and in advance of those discussions, I announced last Sunday a measure to ensure that no full time worker in Government earns less than $1,000 a month,” he said.

Skerrit who is seeking a second term in office said it was not a pie-in-the-sky promise.

“We are committed to that! Indeed, I can tell you that I have already formally instructed officials in the Ministry of Finance to make provision for those increases in the March pay packets of workers who will benefit from this initiative.

I am saying to any full time government worker who earned less than $1,000 last month or the month before, that by the month of March, 2010 you shall receive no less than $1,000 as earnings. You can take that to the bank,” he said.

He criticized the opposition United Workers Party, claiming that “this is not like someone telling you they will start construction of an international airport in 18 months, when they do not even know where the airport would be located…far less how the project would be financed. This Dominica Labour Party is a serious party and what we say we will do…we will do,” he said.

According to Skerrit, every single promise contained in our manifesto has been analyzed and costed and “I can tell you how it will be funded”.

He said, “we have done it in the past and we shall do it again! I said four years ago that we would provide Dominica with a modern, state of the art sports and cultural stadium. Can anyone in this audience this evening tell me where are we assembled?

The contract for the West Coast Road has already been awarded and the Canefield to Melville Hall Road is under construction, according to Skerrit.

Meantime Skerrit said the DLP is also working feverishly on establishing those positions in the public service I referred to on Sunday.

“In other words, the measures outlined at La Plaine last Sunday evening are already ‘works in progress’ and will definitely come on stream within 100 days of the Dominica Labour Party being returned to office,” he said.