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PNP MPs struggle without salary for the last two months
By Durrant Pate
Senior StaffReporter
Some opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Members of Parliament (MPs) are finding it difficult to pay their bills and deal with constituency matters, as MPs have reportedly not been paid their salary for the past two months.
It is understood that some of the former government MPs are now quite challenged in maintaining their day-to-day living arrangements, having exhausted most of their financial resources campaigning for the September 3 General Elections. While asking not to be named, the opposition MPs wanted to go on record about the plight they said they were now facing, being out of government and having not been paid, while being called upon to meet at least some basic expectations of their constituents.
The MPs detailed some of the difficulties being experienced, for example, in meeting back-to-school expenses for their own children, as well as for some of the needy children in their constituencies. One MP said things were so bad now that extremely modest living had been the order of the day among most opposition MPs since the elections.
Secretary for the opposition parliamentary group, South Central St. Catherine MP, Sharon Haye-Webster, said many of her colleagues were having it difficult not being paid for so long.
“We have the same bills like everybody else, we have mortgages to pay, vehicles to maintain, offices to maintain and other daily expenses and more so, we haven’t been paid since July. I’m really hoping that we will be paid this month,” Haye-Webster declared.
When the Sunday Herald contacted Norman Richards from the Accounts Department at Gordon House, he said no payments were made in September, but declined to give an explanation why.
He said MPs would be receiving their September and October salary payments this week. But his position contrasted with those of some MPs, who said the last payment they received was on July 25.
Meanwhile, the non-payment of the increased salary due to parliamentarians from as far back as April 2006, along with retroactive amounts, was shaping up to create deep divisions between the government and the opposition. Already it has indicated that it will be taking the fight to the government to have the increase effected and retroactive payments made in the shortest possible time, given the challenges being faced by some of the opposition MPs and their inability to meet emergency needs among some of their constituents.
But when contacted, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, Senator Dwight Nelson, said, “the pay increase for parliamentarians is not a critical matter at this time, while being important.” He said the issue had not been placed on the agenda of Cabinet and he had no idea when this would be done.
Senator Nelson, who oversees the public service aspect of the ministry, argued that the Bruce Golding-led administration was faced with more crucial cost-related issues than increased salaries for parliamentarians. He, however, acknowledged that even members of his side had been clamouring for their increased pay, saying the wait had been too long.
Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry, was the strongest voice on the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) side while the party was in opposition prior to the recent General Elections. Henry had demanded that the increased salaries which were owing, be paid. The opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has now started to hurl the same accusation of politicking with the pay increase for parliamentarians, which was hurled at it by some members of the then JLP opposition, when the PNP was in government.
Commenting on the matter, Haye-Webster said due consideration ought to be given to the payment of the increased salary and retroactive money, given the rise in prices generally.
“This issue of increasing the pay for parliamentarians is always used to play politics. You go back and check the records of the 70s, 80s and 90s, where it has been fixed in the public’s head that we were always overpaid,” she said.
The increase should have been paid over nine months ago, when it was agreed that parliamentarians should receive the same increase of 20 per cent increase over two years ago, as other public sector workers received. The last salary increase granted to parliamentarians was on April 1, 2002.
The pending increase will take the Prime Minister’s salary to $5.62 million per annum; of this amount $5.412,295 will be basic pay, with $216,000 per annum for housing allowance once the holder of the office doesn’t occupy a government-provided home.
The Finance Minister’s emolument would move to $4,601,055, of which $4,385,055 is basic pay, with a housing allowance of $216,000.
The other Cabinet Ministers will get a salary of $4,060,237; the Leader of the Opposition pockets $3,552,707 annually, down to backbench MPs at $2,537,648 annually.
http://www.sunheraldjamaica.com
By Durrant Pate
Senior StaffReporter
Some opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Members of Parliament (MPs) are finding it difficult to pay their bills and deal with constituency matters, as MPs have reportedly not been paid their salary for the past two months.
It is understood that some of the former government MPs are now quite challenged in maintaining their day-to-day living arrangements, having exhausted most of their financial resources campaigning for the September 3 General Elections. While asking not to be named, the opposition MPs wanted to go on record about the plight they said they were now facing, being out of government and having not been paid, while being called upon to meet at least some basic expectations of their constituents.
The MPs detailed some of the difficulties being experienced, for example, in meeting back-to-school expenses for their own children, as well as for some of the needy children in their constituencies. One MP said things were so bad now that extremely modest living had been the order of the day among most opposition MPs since the elections.
Secretary for the opposition parliamentary group, South Central St. Catherine MP, Sharon Haye-Webster, said many of her colleagues were having it difficult not being paid for so long.
“We have the same bills like everybody else, we have mortgages to pay, vehicles to maintain, offices to maintain and other daily expenses and more so, we haven’t been paid since July. I’m really hoping that we will be paid this month,” Haye-Webster declared.
When the Sunday Herald contacted Norman Richards from the Accounts Department at Gordon House, he said no payments were made in September, but declined to give an explanation why.
He said MPs would be receiving their September and October salary payments this week. But his position contrasted with those of some MPs, who said the last payment they received was on July 25.
Meanwhile, the non-payment of the increased salary due to parliamentarians from as far back as April 2006, along with retroactive amounts, was shaping up to create deep divisions between the government and the opposition. Already it has indicated that it will be taking the fight to the government to have the increase effected and retroactive payments made in the shortest possible time, given the challenges being faced by some of the opposition MPs and their inability to meet emergency needs among some of their constituents.
But when contacted, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, Senator Dwight Nelson, said, “the pay increase for parliamentarians is not a critical matter at this time, while being important.” He said the issue had not been placed on the agenda of Cabinet and he had no idea when this would be done.
Senator Nelson, who oversees the public service aspect of the ministry, argued that the Bruce Golding-led administration was faced with more crucial cost-related issues than increased salaries for parliamentarians. He, however, acknowledged that even members of his side had been clamouring for their increased pay, saying the wait had been too long.
Transport and Works Minister, Mike Henry, was the strongest voice on the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) side while the party was in opposition prior to the recent General Elections. Henry had demanded that the increased salaries which were owing, be paid. The opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has now started to hurl the same accusation of politicking with the pay increase for parliamentarians, which was hurled at it by some members of the then JLP opposition, when the PNP was in government.
Commenting on the matter, Haye-Webster said due consideration ought to be given to the payment of the increased salary and retroactive money, given the rise in prices generally.
“This issue of increasing the pay for parliamentarians is always used to play politics. You go back and check the records of the 70s, 80s and 90s, where it has been fixed in the public’s head that we were always overpaid,” she said.
The increase should have been paid over nine months ago, when it was agreed that parliamentarians should receive the same increase of 20 per cent increase over two years ago, as other public sector workers received. The last salary increase granted to parliamentarians was on April 1, 2002.
The pending increase will take the Prime Minister’s salary to $5.62 million per annum; of this amount $5.412,295 will be basic pay, with $216,000 per annum for housing allowance once the holder of the office doesn’t occupy a government-provided home.
The Finance Minister’s emolument would move to $4,601,055, of which $4,385,055 is basic pay, with a housing allowance of $216,000.
The other Cabinet Ministers will get a salary of $4,060,237; the Leader of the Opposition pockets $3,552,707 annually, down to backbench MPs at $2,537,648 annually.
http://www.sunheraldjamaica.com
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