TCI public servants get pay cut reinstated

(CNS): While Civil servants in the Cayman Islands lament the loss of their 3.2% cost of living allowance for the second time during this administration, their peers in the Turks and Caicos Islands can look forward to the return of their 10 per cent pay cut once a new government has been elected. Ric Todd the TCI governor said last Friday that the government was now in a position to reinstate the cut.  This 10% deduction was one of the measures taken to reduce the TCI government’s expense following the financial collapse of the administration in 2010. The governor however has said that there are conditions under which the salary cut has been returned.

Todd said the newly elected government would have to take into account the conclusions and recommendations of the TCIG Pay and Grading review and that the incoming government following Friday’s ballot is satisfied that the reinstatement continues to be affordable alongside its other expenditure priorities.

“When the pay cut was announced it was made clear that we would work to restore it at the earliest possible opportunity,” Todd said. “Taking into account the significant economic and political progress made in the Turks and Caicos particularly over the past year…we closely examined the affordability of this measure ….”

Anya Williams, Deputy Governor said it was only right and proper that public servants, teachers, health professionals, uniformed services and emergency responders are properly remunerated for their achievements.

Meanwhile, civil servants in Cayman are facing pay grade freezes, the continued roll back of their cost of living allowance and doing more with less resources and people, even while the local government’s operating expenses have reached record levels with this year’s public spending reaching almost three quarters of a billion dollars.