Protests against the huge salary increases granted to members of the political directorate continued Wednesday with scores of placard-bearing demonstrators demanding a roll back of the pay hikes outside Ministry of Finance in Kingston.
The protesters – arguably the largest grouping of demonstrators against the salary increases, so far – shouted in unison messages such as “Roll it back!”, and “Broken promises! Broken country”.
One man, bearing a placard showing $1.7 billion in red, the cost the salary increases to parliamentarians will cost over three years, expressed anger over the massive hikes.
“I am angry,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE, saying it was his first-ever protest.
WATCH: ‘$34 million for GG for what?' Dr Michael Abrahams slams salary increases
“The reason why I am out here is because I am angry at this government for bullying the teachers… for how they deal with the firefighters, how they deal with the police and then turning around to award yourself a 200 per cent increase,” he said.
Another protester described the massive salary increases as “anti development”.
“What they are doing is just adding cost to the country without any production… just because they can, they have gone into our pockets and decide to take out over 200 per cent increase, that can’t be right,” she said.
READ: Church leader calls for boycott of Labour Day activities to protest salary increases for politicians
The huge salary increases - in some cases, by more than 200 per cent - for politicians have been met with widespread backlash since they were announced in Parliament by Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke last week.
Following public outcry, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Monday that he was giving up his massive salary increase that would have seen his pay balloon to $28.6 million in April 2024.
Last Friday, Opposition Leader Mark Golding announced that he would be giving up 80 per cent of his 240 per cent salary increase that would have seen his pay jump to more than $25 million by next April, to charitable causes.
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