MONTEGO BAY, St James — Chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation Sergeant Raymond Wilson has issued a thinly veiled threat, giving the Government one month to resolve the lingering issue of the 40-hour work week for rank and file members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

However, he did not say what actions will be taken if the issue is not resolved during the period.“Today (Tuesday) is May 9, 2017. This conference will decide that by June 9th this problem of 40-hour work week and police working and paid for overtime will be fixed. We have been waiting too long and this conference, minister, will decide that by June 9th, one month from today, enough is enough on this matter,” Sergeant Wilson expressed.Speaking Tuesday at the opening day of the two-day 74th Annual Joint Central Conference of the Jamaica Police Federation at the Iberostar Hotel and Resorts, Sergeant Wilson stated that a decision will be taken during the conference to guarantee that police officers be paid overtime pay after working 40 hours, similar to other public sector workers.The conference, which was held under the theme “Preserving the Institution: Serving the Protector”, was attended by Minister of National Security Robert Montague, Commissioner of Police George Quallo, among other top brass in the police force.“We are human beings with rights, we are workers with rights, and the issue of the 40-hour work week has been lingering too long,” he charged.“We are simply saying that 40 hours work week should be the standard. Work beyond that is called overtime. That, according to the laws of Jamaica, should be paid for so that police officers, like other public sector workers, can benefit from additional remuneration. Why is it so hard to implement?”He was quick to point out that it should not be misinterpreted that he is lobbying for police to only work for 40 hours weekly.“And oftentimes we are misunderstood because we want to put it on the table that we are not asking police to work only 40 hours per week,” the police federation chairman said.“Minister, we are not here to encourage wrong, we are here to support stronger partnership,” he continued.In the meantime, Sergeant Wilson noted that over the past five years, 400 people have left the police force and called for the funds already committed to pay them to be put in a fund to compensate cops for overtime work.“Minister, if we look at the net loss by attrition, we lose over 400 people plus or minus over the last three years. The first question we must ask, who does the work of that 400? But better yet minister, the better question is the members that remain are the ones who do the work. Nobody has replaced them, sir. Who is benefiting from the salaries that amount to millions that would normally be paid to those 400 workers?” Wilson questioned.“We are proposing, minister, that first we look back… We look at the last five years especially, minister, and we look at the net effect in terms of attrition and with the salaries of those police officers put in a fund, give it to the commissioner so that the commissioner can instruct his managers to deploy people and pay them overtime from that fund.“Minister, we don’t only come with problems, we come with solutions,” he said.The police federation chairman also suggested that Government match the funds which were in place for the officers who have left the JCF, to bolster a budget for overtime payment to cops.“All we are asking, minister, is since that money would have already been committed as money payable to police officers, except that they have left, whatever it comes to, minister, all we are asking the Government to do is to match it,” Sergeant Wilson said.