Antigua Public Servants To Receive Back Pay From Government Before Year End

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda, November 21, 2018 (CMC) – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it has acquired funds that will allow it to pay the arrears, owed to public servants, before yearend.

Public servants, earlier this month, received partial payment, and Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, told Parliament, yesterday, that he is hoping his administration will meet its financial obligations to the workers, by year end.

Government Chief of Staff, Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst, said the funds had been obtained from several sources and will be paid back from revenue.

“It is almost 40 million dollars, and I can assure the government did not have that kind of money laying around in the Treasury,” he said on a radio program, here, adding “it came from several sources and I will leave that to the Finance Minister to reveal that, during the budget, which is coming up next month”.

Earlier this month, the President of the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association, Joan Peters, said all workers, entitled to receive government retroactive pay, are also to receive benefits, even those who are no longer in the service.

“Even those who would have died, but, are entitled to retroactive pay, are to be paid for their service. What is happening now, is that only the active government workers are being paid. Once the active members are handled, those who are no longer in the service but qualify, will be taken care of,” Peters said.

She said persons, who worked for at least one year, during the period of January 2003 to December 2017, is entitled.

Workers were paid one month of the current gross basic salary, in lieu of outstanding collective bargaining contracts, for the period January 2003 to December 31, 2017. They are also to be paid one month of the current gross basic salary, in lieu of outstanding back pay, for persons employed in the public service, between June 2000 to December 2004.