KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for South East St Andrew Julian Robison says there needs to be an urgent review of the wages and benefits for Parliamentary support staff, who continue to provide yeoman service to the nation’s Parliament and its members, despite the ravages of the coronavirus and amid the rising cost of living.

“While I continue to stand in the gap for all workers, especially those who do not earn a liveable wage in an environment where food prices and the general cost of living soar, today I would like to highlight those who work here in Gordon House, and those who provide direct support to Parliamentarians,” Robinson said as he made his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the Lower House.

He spoke under the theme “Accountability, Transparency and Participatory Democracy’.

He said that the Parliamentary support staff remains committed to excellence, and they work for extremely long hours and for very low wages.

“Some earn as little as $10,000 weekly. When we meet late into the night, close to the 8:00 pm curfew hour, they must figure out on their own how to get public transportation to go home at those hours. As Parliamentarians, we need to reassess this category of worker and explore ways to improve their situation,” Robinson said.

He pointed out that the drivers and secretaries who work directly with Members of Parliament often work for years and have no entitlement to a pension at the end of their years of service, even when they reach retirement age.

“For many, it is very difficult to find new or alternative employment at that stage of their lives. I ask that we make provisions for their pension based on some specific criteria. We could, for instance, consider adopting the same basic criteria for pensions that exists for Parliamentarians, for example, if a person has worked with an MP for a minimum of two Parliamentary terms, they become eligible for benefits to help them through their golden years.”

Robinson also commended the security forces who continue in their efforts to keep the society safe, despite rising and more brutal forms of criminality.

“Up Park Camp, the headquarters of the JDF is in my constituency as well as Harmon Barracks and a number of other critical JCF posts and offices. In a society plagued by high violent crime rates, I want to acknowledge and salute the men and women of the JDF and JCF who literally put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe,” he said.