WHAT WILL MINISTERS SACRIFICE?

Comment

When the going gets tough, very tough decisions have to be made. This, it would seem, is what government wants us to believe it is trying to do by suspending bonuses for Category A government parastatals due to an undeclared cash flow crisis.

The trouble with this move is the discriminatory execution which once again demonstrates that there are some workers deemed more equal than others. Just last week, we exposed a secret salary appeals increment for senior civil servants while the junior staff was left out. Threats of a national strike have emerged as a result.

There is no guessing what the consequences of the latest stunt will be. Sadly essential services such as water and electricity fall under this category.
This decision is devoid of consultations which are a prerequisite when it affects workers’ remuneration. Its timing is also highly hypocritical given the hefty raises given to senior government officials just days ago.
This move also demonstrates how government would rather sacrifice people’s benefits than it would suspend capital projects that have no direct economic benefit for this country in the short to medium term, or cut travel, reduce security spending, rein in abuse of government vehicles and a host other wasteful and luxury expenditure. 

Fact is, government wouldn’t even need to suspend bonuses had it implemented a recommendation to reduce the 50 parastatals which are far too many for this small country of ours. Dozens of other cost-reduction recommendations have fallen on deaf ears, the worst of which was the implementation of ‘Dvuladvula’ in a slumping economy without a clue of how to raise the money. Now the chickens have come home to roost.
If Cabinet is to be taken seriously in its bid to tighten expenditure belts, it should show us how.

If it believes workers can sacrifice bonuses then surely a good place to start for our ministers is to come forward and take a significant salary cut.  As they say, what’s good for Goose must be good for gander!

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