Dear Editor,
The prime minister recently made a cry to the nation. She asked Jamaicans to put our hands together so that we can improve the economy. She called on the private sector to employ at least one person, which would account for over 40,000 Jamaicans on the private sector payroll. These are commendable strategies and one can disagree with such a plea, as it entails improving the country and providing jobs.
If my memory serves me well, as well, the Government asked the public sector workers to agree to a salary freeze for a number of years. All this against the background that the times are very hard and it is difficult to make ends meet. Albeit with a struggle, in the end the public sector workers had agreed to this plea.
That said, the question that now lies ahead is, if the public sector employees agreed to the wage freeze, in the interest of the country, then why have the prime minister and her Cabinet not also agreed to a wage freeze in solidarity with the public sector workers?
From my recollection, on November of 2010, a salary increase was due to the then governing Jamaica Labour Party. Then prime minister, Bruce Golding, suspended the wage increase because he saw that Jamaica was in no position to afford it.
A 6% increase in salary by the present Government of Jamaica at this time, is an act of hypocrisy and cruelty. Leaders should lead by example and should not ask the people of Jamaica to sacrifice, if they themselves are not willing to do the same. If the Jamaican citizen is expected to make sacrifice, it means that our leaders should be willing to make sacrifice for the good of the nation. I hope that the Government will have a heart and freeze their own wages, as the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is using as an excuse that most of the ministers were living a comfortable life before they became ministers.
There is a Jamaican saying that says, "Children live what they learn." Therefore if the Jamaican government makes reasonable effort to fix the economy, then the people of Jamaica will be more willing to make more sacrifice for nation building.
With that being said, the Jamaican people is awaiting a response to the question posed by Senator Robert Montague. There was a promise to give an answer on whether the prime minister and her Cabinet had or will receive a 6% increase in salary and we are demand that answer.
Norman Smith
jermainesmith_1@yahoo.com
Did you really take a salary increase, PM?
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The prime minister recently made a cry to the nation. She asked Jamaicans to put our hands together so that we can improve the economy. She called on the private sector to employ at least one person, which would account for over 40,000 Jamaicans on the private sector payroll. These are commendable strategies and one can disagree with such a plea, as it entails improving the country and providing jobs.
If my memory serves me well, as well, the Government asked the public sector workers to agree to a salary freeze for a number of years. All this against the background that the times are very hard and it is difficult to make ends meet. Albeit with a struggle, in the end the public sector workers had agreed to this plea.
That said, the question that now lies ahead is, if the public sector employees agreed to the wage freeze, in the interest of the country, then why have the prime minister and her Cabinet not also agreed to a wage freeze in solidarity with the public sector workers?
From my recollection, on November of 2010, a salary increase was due to the then governing Jamaica Labour Party. Then prime minister, Bruce Golding, suspended the wage increase because he saw that Jamaica was in no position to afford it.
A 6% increase in salary by the present Government of Jamaica at this time, is an act of hypocrisy and cruelty. Leaders should lead by example and should not ask the people of Jamaica to sacrifice, if they themselves are not willing to do the same. If the Jamaican citizen is expected to make sacrifice, it means that our leaders should be willing to make sacrifice for the good of the nation. I hope that the Government will have a heart and freeze their own wages, as the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is using as an excuse that most of the ministers were living a comfortable life before they became ministers.
There is a Jamaican saying that says, "Children live what they learn." Therefore if the Jamaican government makes reasonable effort to fix the economy, then the people of Jamaica will be more willing to make more sacrifice for nation building.
With that being said, the Jamaican people is awaiting a response to the question posed by Senator Robert Montague. There was a promise to give an answer on whether the prime minister and her Cabinet had or will receive a 6% increase in salary and we are demand that answer.
Norman Smith
jermainesmith_1@yahoo.com
Did you really take a salary increase, PM?
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