Playing the wage negotiations dice

Dear Editor,

It is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation for Government in its continued and confrontational wage increase contract negotiations with public sector workers.

In fairness to the Government, the proverbial buck doesn't start and stop with them. They have bills to pay, loan repayment schedules to honour, and relationships with creditors to maintain or salvage. Further, empathy is also due to them for the fact that the heads of the people which they govern are "tough"; God, Himself, knows how challenging being a leader of such a people can be.

In fairness to the public servants, though, they too have bills, creditors and, in some cases, loans to repay. As a former public servant, though for just a stint, I suspect what obtains is a disintegration of the "value" of being a public servant. The mechanisms which used to make the life of a public servant easier and more prestigious are being squeezed and done away with by the chase of the dollar, which even the Government has to be diligently engaged in.

Everybody knows -- including a provoking Opposition, the Government and the protesting public sector workers -- that there is nothing much which can be done. But as we play the game, we need to see the Government burst a sweat and, perhaps, have a few fainting spells, while convincing us.

Andre O Sheppy

Norwood, St James

astrangely@outlook.com

Playing the wage negotiations dice

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