In the clearest indication yet that the Government is about to settle wage agreements with some of the major public sector groups, Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke on Tuesday announced that $4.3 billion has been tacked on to the budget for this fiscal year, which ends on March 31.

This now brings the budget past the trillion-dollar mark to approximately $1.002 trillion, and will make provisions for the full implementation across the entire public sector for the first year of the compensation restructuring, Clarke said, as he tabled the fourth supplementary estimates for the fiscal year during the sitting of the House of Representatives.

Clarke had previously warned that if the groups did not sign the wage agreements before the end of this fiscal year they could face up to a year’s delay in getting the new rates, as the Government would not be able to accommodate this in the budget for 2023/2024.

The police, doctors, and teachers are some of the major groups which have refused to sign off on the new compensation package until there is an improved offer from the Government.

However, over the past week, the more vocal members of those groups became noticeably silent, leading to speculation that they were close to inking an agreement with the Administration.

On Tuesday, after his presentation in the House, Dr Clarke confirmed to the Jamaica Observer that the Government is in “advanced discussions” with some of the major groups and the increase in the budget is in anticipation of them signing.

Meanwhile, during the tabling of the estimates, Clarke said provisions would have been made for the implementation of the compensation restructuring in the second and third supplementary estimates, noting that the fourth supplementary estimates arise as those discussions/negotiations are continuing and, as a result of some of the advances made in those discussions, additional provisions have to be made.

“The supplementary estimates adjust compensation-related items up by $10.1 billion and it also has an adjustment in capital expenditure downwards of $5.8 million,” he said.

“Those capital expenditure projects relate to areas in the public investment project portfolio where projects are unlikely to be completed, or certainly the funds are unlikely to be drawn down in the next four weeks of the fiscal year, and therefore they are being reprogrammed in this way,” he said.

Clarke further noted that there is additional expenditure being proposed for the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company.

This is the fourth supplementary estimates to be tabled during the fiscal year, and the second since January 31 when the third supplementary estimates, which added $24.5 billion to the national budget, were tabled. It stood at $998.2 billion at that time.

The estimates were approved after consideration by Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee and the Standing Finance Committee.