PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad & Tobago’s Public Service Association (PSA) Friday warned Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to exercise caution after he publicly said that a senior public servant had informed the government it could not meet the payment of back pay as promised by Christmas this year.

PSA president Leroy Baptiste, speaking on a radio programme here, said the government should tread carefully since any time these lines are blurred there may be consequences.

“…They made a promise and I expect them to keep the promise. The public officers’ position I would say to the government, hands off. This is precisely the problem we have had with this particular administration where it is hell bent on removing all the insulation between public servants and itself,” he added.

Speaking at the weekly post Cabinet news conference on Thursday, Rowley told reporters that the un-named Permanent Secretary had written to the Finance Minister indicating that payment could most probably be made in May next year.

The back pay followed the decision of several public sector unions,representing teachers, police officers,prison and fire officials but excluding the PSA, to accept the four per cent salary increase that had been offered by the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) Dr Daryl Dindial.

Earlier this month, Imbert delivering the annual budget, told legislators that the government would bring the 37,000 public sector workers who accepted its four per cent negotiation offer up to their new salary levels immediately.

“I’m also giving these workers an undertaking that all ministries and agencies involved will be provided with the necessary funds to pay this one billion dollars (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in back pay by Christmas 2023, and I’m requesting all permanent secretaries and accounting officers to immediately start preparing the paperwork to achieve this deadline for these payments,” Imbert added.

But Rowley told reporters “you could imagine the government comes to an agreement with TTUTA (Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association) to deal with the four per cent increase. We know that it is not the best that you would look for but get it as quickly as you can and use it as quickly as you can.

“The Minister of Finance comes to the Parliament and tells the Parliament he will find the money and we will take steps to ensure public servants are paid by Christmas in December.

A PS (permanent secretary) is going to write the minister and say that can’t be done until next year May. Well, they don’t run this country. They never offered themselves for public service (political office), and the Cabinet will not tolerate that,” Rowley said.

Asked whether public servants would be getting the back pay by Christmas, Rowley replied “I just told you a PS said ‘no. Next year May might be the earliest’.

“ There is a government in this country and the Government will do what has to be done,” he said, adding that he had just had a meeting with the head of the public service and asked him if the public service has “gone mad because this is not a singular arrangement”.

He said he heard of another instance where a public servant was deciding that a particular ministry could not function in the Government office “because that public servant doesn’t recognise the minister’s authority to do that.

“Something is very wrong and I have asked the Attorney Ggeneral for guidance so that the government could speak to the Public Service Commission. So whatever Kool-Aid they drinking, they must understand that we are all here to serve the public,’ Rowley said.

But the PSA president said that his union would not sit idly by and allow public servants to be threatened.

“We stand against that and this is precisely what is happening with BIR (Board of Inland Revenue) Customs, wherever you hear they looking to attack the name of the structure, removing the insulation between public officers and the political directorate. This is a major problem for any country.”

Baptiste said the there must be a complete insulation from the politicians, referring to the situation in the United States where he said the last administration in Washington had “tried to dictate how elections should take place.

“You now have the former president (Donald Trump) facing the court because again the politician…do not respect that insulation between himself and the career public officers (and) you have corruption taking place.

“That we must all stand against and the association clearly, we stand against this and again I would say to the prime minister hands off. We will fight that left right and center,” Baptiste added.