MILITANT rank-and-file members of the police force yesterday outrightly rejected the Government’s latest wage offer and vowed to protest until their demands were met.

However, the cops declined to say what action they were likely to take in their fight for better wages. The police had earlier this year gone on a sick-out to back demands. However, under Jamaican law, they are not allowed to strike.

“We have sworn to protect the citizens of this country, but we can’t protect them on a hungry belly. John Public will see what happens and the Government will think twice,” Sgt David White told the Observer, after emerging from a special meeting of the Jamaica Police Federation at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

“It is time now that the police force is recognised as one of the most important organisations in Jamaica. For too long, we have been pushed around. Some positive action will be taken tomorrow (today),” said Sgt Whyte, the public relations officer for the Police Federation.

The cops, who met for two hours yesterday, had given the Government until noon yesterday to improve its wage offer “or face the consequences”.

But the government did not budge.

Information Minister Senator Colin Campbell said that the issue was discussed at yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, but reported no new position on the wage talks.

Campbell said the Cabinet was of the view that the matter should be resolved in an atmosphere conducive to successful wage negotiations.

“The entire Cabinet is very clear that we want this matter to proceed in an atmosphere where we could continue to have a security force that is motivated and the salary negotiations will continue, and we hope that they will be successfully concluded within a short time,” Campbell told reporters following the weekly meeting of ministers.

In the meantime, the Police Federation delegates, some carrying caricatures which they said were of junior finance minister Fitz Jackson, blasted the state minister for comments attributed to him in the Sunday Observer. He was quoted as saying the police’s handling of the wage negotiations was “impractical, immature and an insult to people’s intelligence”.

“This Mr Jackson is rude and feisty. His remarks are disrespectful, but we shall see what we shall see,” an obviously angry woman sergeant remarked.

Yesterday, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, called for the negotiations between the police and the government to be referred to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for settlement.

Smith said he made the appeal in view of the problems which have been triggered by the statements attributed to Jackson, as well as his contention that the Ministry of Labour’s conciliatory machinery was far superior, in terms of professionally and efficiently negotiating wage settlements, to that of the Ministry of Finance’s.

Additional reporting by Balford Henry