|
Monday,
October 13th, 2008:
When I
heard that the NDC announced during the
campaign that they were going to pay
persons who received public assistance
$400.00 per month, I said it had to be a
mistake. When I saw the advertisement
myself, I said this is crazy. It must
never be misinterpreted that I am
looking at this issue with the eye of an
NNP. I am a patriotic Grenadian and a
hard working public officer.
You see as
a public servant, it has become normal
to hear the government ‘cry’ when they
have to give us a few dollars on our
pay. I often say we work so hard
every-day as nurses, teachers,
secretaries, field officers, permanent
secretaries etc, and still have to fight
to get a basic increase of 3% or 5%.
I am trying
to comprehend now how fair it is for
persons who are sitting home not working
(with all due respect to them) are able
to get almost 200% increase without even
asking for it? Why can’t we be treated
in the same way? I almost feel the urge
to want to reach 60 years.
Is it fair
to the construction worker who has to
wake up since 4:00am to catch a bus to
get to the site and work hard all day
and never get an increase in years?
What about persons in the private sector
who do not even have a union to
represent them and they never get an
increase in years, while they are
expected to work like mules. Is it
fair?
When this
programme starts, I will be the first to
call on my union to seek our interest.
I have never questioned percentage
increase because I always believe the
politicians know what the country can
afford. Now I have a totally different
view, except the intention is to treat
public officers with the same level of
generosity. The cost of living is
affecting everyone and I believe that we
deserve to be considered as vulnerable
too. I also hope that the new
government will consider the percentage
at which our salaries go up. For too
long we have been working for nothing in
this country. We need to feel
appreciated.
In addition
to increases, there are so many
government programmes that we don’t
benefit from as public officers. I
believe that when the government resumes
some of the safety net programmes, more
public officers must be considered for
support. There is the perception that
when you work with the government you
are not needy. You may be amazed how
many public officers are not able to
give their children a proper breakfast
on mornings because they are struggling
like me to make ends meet. So I wonder,
if we can afford to increase public
assistance to $400.00 per month then why
can’t we add public servants on the list
for free milk or for free food hampers,
free housing materials, free
transportation allowance etc. We may be
more vulnerable than many of these
elderly persons who really just need the
basics as most of them have persons who
will help to support them.
I am
wondering if we are not sending the
wrong message by implementing this
programme, because when I am told
everyday that I should cut down on
wastage in my ministry, I am asking can
this increase fall in the category of
wastage. Why are other countries with
greater wealth not implementing a
programme with that level of increase?
I fully agree that these elderly persons
should get an increase, but maybe by $20
or even $50.00 but not by $200.00.
While my mother will be better off by
$200.00. I still cannot support it,
because I know in one way or another
hard working people like me will end up
paying for it. I also have to ask, if
we increase by $200 in the first year
what will the increase be in the
following year?
Public
Servant |
