KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) shadow minister on the Public Service Lambert Brown is voicing concern about the pace at which the Government is approaching the public sector wage negotiations.

The public sector workers have been due increased salaries and improved benefits since April of this year, but according to the PNP “the Government has been showing no flexibility in what must be described as its snail-paced approach to the negotiations with the hard working and dedicated civil servants, police, teachers, nurses, fire fighters, correctional officers and other employees in the public sector”.

Brown is now calling on the Government to immediately enter into real negotiations with a more responsive offer that will eliminate the risk of disruption to the society.

He decried the fact that some teachers are effectively being offered an increase of less than $400 per month, which he argued would hardly make a difference in view of increased taxation and higher costs of living over the contract period.