Negotiations with majority of public sector bargaining units complete
THE Government has concluded wage negotiations with approximately 97 per cent of all public sector bargaining units for the period 2015/17.
This is outlined in the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) Fiscal Policy Paper for financial year 2016/17 (Interim Report).
The document was tabled by Minister of Finance and Public Service Audley Shaw during the sitting of the House of Representatives on September 28.
It states that negotiations for 2017/19 are expected to commence in November 2016 and should be concluded in time to inform the new budget.
“These negotiations will be informed by the Government’s goal to achieve a wage to gross domestic product ratio of nine per cent by financial year 2018/19 ,and for it to remain at or below this level over the medium term,” the document notes.
Meanwhile, the Government will be carrying out a compensation review to properly document the range of allowances as well as the categories of workers who receive these allowances.
So far, a pilot has been conducted by the finance ministry (August 2016) and will be extended to cover the Ministry of Health (medical professionals), Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (teaching groups), and Ministry of National Security (police) by the end of November 2016.
The document says the remaining ministries, departments and agencies will be completed by March 2017.
